July 17 (UPI) — U.S. President Joe Biden and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu conferred for the first time in months on Monday, the White House said, while the prime minister’s office announced the two leaders have agreed to meet.
Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have been chilly since the Israeli leader, in an alliance with hard-right Cabinet members, has sought to implement an overhaul of the Israeli judiciary, which opponents have passionately denounced as a weakening of the checks and balances necessary for a functioning democracy in the country.
Despite their differences, the White House said Biden on Monday “underscored his iron-clad, unwavering commitment to Israel’s security” in his conversation with the Israeli leader as the two discussed “a broad range of global and regional issues of mutual concern.”
While U.S. president emphasized that the U.S.-Israel partnership “remains a cornerstone in preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he also expressed “concern” over the growth of Jewish settlements in occupied West Bank and reiterated his support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
He also cited “the need for the broadest possible consensus” in the implementation of judicial reforms in Israel, adding that “shared democratic values have always been and must remain a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
Biden last week called Netanyahu’s government “the most extreme in 50 years,” citing the opposition of Cabinet members such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the idea of a Palestinian state.
The U.S. account of the call made no mention of an in-person meeting, but Netanyahu’s office said Biden had invited him to meet “soon” at an unspecified location in the United States, and that the prime minister had accepted.
Israel described the call as “long and warm” and focused on “bolstering the strong bond between the nations; thwarting threats from Iran and its proxies; expanding the circle of peace; and the continued efforts to de-escalate and stabilize the situation in Judea and Samaria (renewing the Aqaba-Sharm El-Sheikh process).”
The meeting, however, likely won’t be at the White House. Biden said in March he had no plans to invite Netanyahu there “in the near term” while the Israeli leader continued to back the controversial judicial reforms.
