U.S. General Martin Dempsey Meeting With Israeli Military Officials

Image by Getty Images

By JTA March 30, 2014

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet with senior Israeli military officials in Israel.

Dempsey was scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday as the guest of his Israeli counterpart, Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, the Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Dempsey’s spokesman said in a statement.

It is Dempsey’s fifth trip to Israel as chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

“The focus of the chairman’s discussions with his counterparts will be on issues of mutual strategic interest, while continuing to build on this important defense relationship,” Dempsey’s spokesman said.

The meetings “demonstrate America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and the meetings come amid much change and turmoil in the region,” the statement said.

Dempsey will remain in Israel through Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Dempsey reportedly is scheduled to meet with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, whose recent remarks critical of U.S. policy and lack of an apology angered Washington.

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO