Israel Using US Military Chief To Reach Biden
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Israel reportedly uses the top U.S. military chief to send sensitive messages to declared President-elect Joe Biden about Iran and other Middle East tension.
The investigative U.S. news site ‘Axios’ said General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked to tell the Biden administration not to lift sanctions on Iran.
Axios, meaning ‘Worthy’ in Greek, cited a top Israeli official as saying that Jerusalem is concerned about plans to negotiate with Iran.
Milley was reportedly told that Israel wanted to urge Biden aides to use sanctions imposed by the Trump administration as “leverage” to get a better nuclear deal with Tehran.
There was no immediate confirmation from Milley or the Biden team about the reported discussions between the top U.S. military chief and Israel’s government.
Milley was in Israel last week at the end of a whirlwind trip to the Middle East, where he had meetings in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
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In Israel, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and Israel’s chief military commander Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi.
The official was quoted as saying that the Israelis see Milley as someone who “is still going to be in the room when Biden assumes office and is going to play a substantive role in any policy review that will take place.”
President-elect Joe Biden has said he would bring the U.S. back into the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump exited in 2018, provided Iran returns to compliance with the pact.
However, Milley was reportedly told that Israel hopes Biden will not rush back into the deal but instead take advantage “of the fact that Iran is in a weak position.”
Israel hopes the next administration will also show flexibility towards Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, despite concerns over their records on human rights, Axios quoted officials as saying.
There are significant policy gaps on that issue between the Israeli government and Biden, which could lead to U.S.-Israel tensions, Axios reported. Those differences may increase around Israel’s elections, due in March if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes concerns about Biden’s policies part of his campaign, analysts say.
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