Witkoff denies US–Israel rift after visit cancellation

US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has denied reports of disagreements between Washington and Israel following the cancellation of a planned visit to the country this week.

According to CNN, Witkoff said that he and Jared Kushner will most likely travel to Israel next week instead.

“The visit we planned was not so much about smoothing over disagreements, because in my view, there aren’t that many. Rather, it was about coordination and understanding where they are in the process,” Witkoff said during an appearance on CNBC on Tuesday.

He added that the trip had been cancelled “for other reasons not related” to concerns surrounding Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities over the weekend.

CNN reported that while the United States had been aware of Israel’s plans to target several Iranian fuel depots, some officials within the US administration were surprised by the scale of the attacks.

Witkoff said that he and Kushner will “probably travel next week,” although he noted that the exact date has not yet been determined.

He also revealed that a trilateral meeting involving Russia and Ukraine is expected to take place “sometime next week.”

Earlier reports said that representatives of Donald Trump — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — had planned to travel to Israel on Tuesday for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

By Tamilla Hasanova