WASHINGTON, Mar 11 on the eve of the official's visit to Washington, despite his call to destroy the Palestinian city of Huwara, the Axios portal reported, citing sources.
At the end of February, two Israelis were shot dead by a Palestinian terrorist in the city of Huwara. After the attack, Smotrich, one of the most senior members of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, said that Israel should «wipe out» the Palestinian city. The media reported that the US State Department is considering the possibility of refusing to issue a visa to the head of the Israeli Ministry of Finance because of his draft.
«The State Department granted far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's request for a 'diplomatic visa' ahead of his trip to Washington next week,» the statement said.
According to the portal, which refers to a high-ranking US official, during the consultations at the State Department, there was a general understanding that there is «an extremely high bar, both politically and legally, for refusing diplomatic visa» to a minister of a state that is an ally of Washington.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has also made it clear that US officials are not going to meet with Smotrich during his upcoming visit.