President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have rejected a request from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to meet during the latter’s visit to Israel in the coming weeks.
The official said that Rivlin and Netanyahu rejected the request after inner consultations over the last few days between the Foreign Ministry and the National Security Council of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Rivlin’s refusal to meet with Carter was first reported Monday night on Channel 10. It is not yet clear if in light of the senior government official’s refusal to meet with him, Carter will decide to cancel his visit.
According to the senior official, the Foreign Ministry recommended that Rivlin and Netanyahu not meet with Carter because of what they termed his “anti-Israeli stance” over the last few years, particularly during the summer war in Gaza.
During the war, Carter voiced harsh criticism on Israel and called to remove Hamas from the American State Department’s list of terror organizations.
The senior official added that Carter has also requested to visit Gaza during his visit, and that Israel had approved that request.
