Israel's Ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, has been instructed not to involve himself in Minister Benny Gantz's visit to Washington this week or even to attend Gantz's meetings with American leaders, Kan News reported.
Neither will other embassy representatives accompany the visit in any way in light of the instruction.
This apparently the result of a dispute between Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the former's trip to Washington.
Sources close to Netanyahu said that Gantz flew without the approval of the prime minister, and in violation of government regulations which require every minister to approve his trip in advance with the prime minister, including approval of the travel plan.
"The Prime Minister made it clear to Minister Gantz that the State of Israel has only one prime minister," said a source close to Netanyahu.
Sources close to Gantz said in response, Minister Gantz personally and on his own initiative informed the Prime Minister on Friday that he intends to fly, in order to coordinate with him the messages that will be conveyed during the meetings."
Gantz will meet, among others, with Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. He will also meet with members of Congress from the Republican and Democratic parties and senior members of the AIPAC lobbying group.
The visit is meant to strengthen the US-Israel relationship, preserve the legitimacy of Israel's continued ground operation in Gaza, strengthen US pressure on Hamas to release Israeli hostages, and to discuss efforts to reach normalization agreements between Israel and Arab nations in the Middle East.
Gantz will visit the UK after leaving the US and will return to Israel on Wednesday.