With the state budget passed and the government no longer threatened by immediate collapse, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shifted his efforts abroad, with a specific emphasis on the US, Israel Hayom has learned.
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As such, Netanyahu has engaged in a delicate dance to avoid unnecessary friction with Israel's greatest ally, through a deliberate effort to pick and choose his battles with the White House.
This has seen him shelve controversial legislation targeting NGOs operating in Israel since this is not considered to be of great importance to his government.
On the other hand, he has stood firm on settlements, including over the legalization of Jewish presence in the former community of Homesh in Samaria. The focus on diplomacy means that Netanyahu will seek to put Iran front and center, but also bolster the Abraham Accords in order to bring Saudi Arabia on board.
Meanwhile, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi are expected to go on another diplomatic trip to the United States, the agenda being the Iran nuclear program.
This will be Dermer and Hanegbi's second visit to the US, while Netanyahu has not yet received an invitation from Washington since taking office.
Dermer is considered Netanyahu's liaison vis-à-vis the Biden administration and is in charge of examining its attitude to various steps taken by the Israeli government, with the prime minister steering his policy accordingly – on the one hand, to maintain the right-wing policies of his government, and on the other, not to have relations unravel.
In recent weeks, on Dermer's recommendation and after pressure from the White House, Netanyahu took Likud MK Ariel Kallner NGO tax bill, which proposed that foreign government contributions to nonprofits be taxed at 65%, off the table.
The issue has been discussed extensively in recent days, but behind the scenes, it was frozen the same way as another law from the Likud meant to confiscate terror funds from the Palestinian Authority.
The bill was proposed by MK Amit Halevi and is meant to confiscate terror funds instead of freezing them. In the meantime, the law is not being promoted for similar reasons. Washington expressed dislike of the wording of the proposal, and Netanyahu put it on hold to reduce unnecessary friction.
According to political sources, other international matters that were brought up for discussion with Netanyahu recently received a similar response – caution vis-a-vis the US and Dermer looking into the matter.
Officials stressed that despite the disagreements, the ties between Jerusalem and Washington remain "close."
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