According to the Jerusalem Post and other media outlets, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered all government ministers to attend Donald Trump’s reception ceremony after learning that several of them were planning to skip it. President Trump is scheduled to arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday, but allegedly, many Israeli ministers objected to the idea of standing on the tarmac underneath a blazing sun waiting for his arrival. During a meeting on Sunday, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, and Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev informed Netanyahu that they were not cancelling previously scheduled commitments to attend the event.
Angered by the news, Netanyahu stopped the meeting and is now demanding that they all be there.
Netanyahu then instructed his chief of staff Yoav Horowitz to send out revamped invitations to all ministers, noting that their attendance was mandatory. According to Cabinet secretary Tzahi Braverman, some ministers said they did not want to go and stand in the heat for long hours, while others stated that they felt no need to attend because it was not like Trump was planning to greet them with a handshake.
Trump’s Middle East Tour
While on a nine-day foreign tour, the president plans to spend 28 hours of his time in Israel and Palestinian territories. He will fly by helicopter from Ben-Gurion Airport to meet with President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence.
Around 6:00 p.m., Trump is set to meet with Netanyahu, to be followed by dinner, where the two men will be joined by their wives. There will be a separate dinner held at the King David Hotel for Trump’s entourage and Israeli officials. Trump is scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem at 1:00 p.m., followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum.
Later in the evening, he will visit Belgium, and the Vatican to finish off his tour.
The sun may not be the only thing producing steam on the tarmac
No one is saying publicly whether or not their real reason for not wanting to attend the event at Ben-Guirion airport has anything to do with Donald Trump’s revealing of Israel’s classified information to the Russians.
But, it wouldn’t be hard to guess that some are not at all happy with the turn of events. The world will soon find out if God's chosen people will roll out the red carpet, hang a gold medal around the president's neck, and invite him to participate in a sword dance.
