Obama administration: Netanyahu aide will get his visa

Senior U.S. administration officials assured Benjamin Netanyahu's political adviser, Uzi Arad, that his visa application will be answered positively, so as not to obstruct his work vis-a-vis the White House, sources said.

Arad, designated to become chairman of the National Security Council under Netanyahu, had been mentioned in connection to Larry Franklin. Franklin, a civil servant in the Defense Department's Office of Special Plans, was convicted of passing classified materials to American-Israel Public Affairs Committee officials, who then allegedly passed it to Israel.

The press in Washington last week reported that Arad had been refused permission to enter the country.

Franklin's original indictment, which was been altered in a plea bargain, noted that Franklin had met with Arad in the Pentagon's cafeteria. The Federal Bureau of Investigation questioned Arad about the meeting, and the FBI was interested in the invitation of Franklin to the Herzliya Conference, for which Arad was one of the organizers.

Franklin's 2006 plea bargain involved testifying against two senior AIPAC figures, Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, who allegedly passed information they received from Franklin to Israel. He was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment, and the Weissman and Rosen case is still underway.

Arad, a former chief of intelligence for the Mossad, became Benjamin Netanyahu's adviser during the latter's first premiership. This professional relationship continued well after Netanyahu left office, with Arad frequently accompanying Netanyahu on visits abroad and in meetings here.

The visa question created a significant obstacle to Arad's appointment, particularly with Netanyahu's planned visit to the United States in early May. Even if Arad were issued a diplomatic passport, he would still need a visa to enter the country. He reportedly had avoided requesting one since Franklin's sentencing.