Biden agrees to hold meeting with Netanyahu in the United States

President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he has agreed to hold a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this year in the United States, despite the strained relationship between them.

 

However, it remains unconfirmed whether this meeting will take place at the White House.

The invitation for the meeting comes on the eve of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's high-level visit to the White House on Tuesday, indicating a reduction in tension between Biden and Netanyahu.

This meeting will also be the first of its kind since Netanyahu returned to power last year, triggering Washington's anger with his controversial judicial reform plan and expansion of settlements.

Netanyahu's office stated on Monday that he received a "long and friendly" phone call with Biden, during which he was "invited" to hold a meeting "in the United States soon."

The statement added that "the Prime Minister accepted the invitation, and the Israeli and American teams will coordinate the details."

However, the US statement about the phone call, which was released relatively long after the Israeli statement, did not mention anything about holding a meeting or extending an invitation.

Separately, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Biden and Netanyahu "agreed to meet, probably before the end of this year" or perhaps "in the fall."

However, he refused to confirm whether this meant an invitation to the White House, stating that work is still ongoing on "all the details, where and when."

The relationship between the United States and its historical ally Israel has faced significant pressures since Netanyahu's return to power leading a right-wing, hardline government in December.
In addition to Herzog's high-level visit to Washington, Kirby indicated that Biden and Netanyahu had been attempting to arrange the call that took place on Monday "for a few weeks."

Netanyahu's proposed judicial reform triggered the largest protests in Israel since January, with Biden expressing concern about the continued growth of Jewish settlements and emphasizing the need to take action to preserve the viability of a future Palestinian state alongside Israel, according to the US statement about the call.

Regarding the judicial reforms, Biden "reiterated the need for the broadest possible consensus," emphasizing that "shared democratic values have always been and must remain a hallmark of the relationship between the United States and Israel," according to the US statement.

Earlier this month, Biden told CNN that Netanyahu's leadership coalition was exacerbating tensions with the Palestinians by facilitating settlement expansion in their territories, and he noted that the current government was "the most extremist" among those Israel has known.

In response to a question about the reasons for not inviting Netanyahu, Biden replied that his country was in touch with "others" in Israel, including Herzog.

The coalition government, which includes right-wing and far-right parties and extremist Jewish formations, asserts that the reforms aim to correct an imbalance between the judiciary and elected members of parliament. However, its opponents say that it poses a threat to Israeli democracy.

Kirby warned that Biden's approval of the meeting with Netanyahu does not mean "that we have fewer concerns about these judicial reforms, or fewer concerns about some of the extremist activities and behaviors of some members of Netanyahu's government."

He added, "These concerns still exist. They are worrisome."




AFP