Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington by the end of this month, a report Monday by British news channel Sky News alleged, citing American sources. This report came just two weeks after US President Joe Biden clarified during a conversation with reporters that he does not intend to invite the Prime Minister to visit the White House.
Biden’s statements led to unusual comments by some government ministers and members of Knesset on behalf of the coalition against the American government and against the President of the United States Joe Biden in particular. As a result, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the ministers in his government not to address the issue and not to speak any more about President Biden.
In addition, according to Netanyahu, President Biden made it clear publicly that his expectation is that Netanyahu will withdraw from his plan to weaken the judicial system. For his part, Biden wanted to make every effort to avoid a confrontation with Netanyahu after the latter returned to the prime minister’s office. However, as time passed and especially against the background of the government’s plan to weaken the justice system, the American president began to lose patience.
Netanyahu responds to Biden
In response to Biden’s comments, Netanyahu claimed that the alliance between Israel and the United States is “unquestionable” despite their differences. “The United States and Israel have had disagreements from time to time, but I want to assure you that the alliance between the largest democracy in the world and the strongest democracy in the heart of the Middle East – Israel – is unassailable. Nothing can change that,” he said in a video speech he gave at the White House Democracies Summit.
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets then-US vice-president Joe Biden at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, in 2016. Netanyahu does not care that President Biden is displeased, says the writer. (credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM/GPO)A day earlier, a spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House said that there is no planned visit with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington. The spokesman added that Israeli leaders traditionally visit Washington and that Netanyahu will most likely visit Washington at some point.
If the report turns out to be reliable, this will be the first time Prime Minister Netanyahu will visit the United States since the last election, and his first meeting with President Biden since the new government was formed.
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