Joe Biden Invites Benjamin Netanyahu to White House After Rift

President Joe Biden invited the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the White House for the first time.

Here are the details you need to learn about the news.

Joe Biden Invites Benjamin Netanyahu To White House After Rift

On Monday, United States President Joe Biden invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an official visit to Washington in the coming months.

Biden extended the invitation on a phone call between him and the Prime Minister, a day ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Washington this week.

President Herzog’s post is primarily ceremonial, and his visit to Washington marks Israel’s 75th birthday. However, his meeting at the White House on Tuesday is politically significant after Biden described Netanyahu’s government earlier this month as comprising some of the most extreme cabinet ministers in the country’s history.

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Biden’s calling the Israeli Prime Minister on Monday for a meeting in Washington is the first such invitation from the White House since Netanyahu was sworn in for a sixth term in December. However, an official date has yet to be determined for his visit.

The Israeli government said, “The Prime Minister responded positively to the invitation, and it was agreed that the Israeli and U.S. teams would coordinate the meeting details.”

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Biden and Netanyahu last spoke in March. During their discussion on Monday, the Israeli statement noted the two leaders discussed strengthening U.S.-Israel relations, threats from Iran, and the continuance of efforts for peace and stability in Judea and Samaria.

The Israeli government also labeled the conversation as ‘warm and long.’ In a briefing, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, said Biden emphasized his ‘ironclad’ commitment to Israel’s security.

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The President and the Prime Minister talked about judicial reforms in Israel and Biden’s concern about settlement growth, in addition to discussing Iran.

Kirby said, “As friends can and friends should, you speak honestly, openly, forthrightly, candidly. You lay it out there, and President Biden has done that. He’s done it publicly with respect to judicial reforms, and he will continue to do it in his conversations with Israeli leaders.”

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In the call summary, the White House said that Biden spoke about continued settlement growth and called on all parties to abstain from unilateral measures. He suggested the need for the broadest possible consensus in the debate in Israel over judicial reforms.

Biden’s invitation to Netanyahu comes after the U.S. President faced criticism for not inviting the Israeli Prime Minister to the White House since Netanyahu assumed office.

U.S. and Israeli relations have been tense after Biden condemned Netanyahu’s judicial reform policy despite domestic protests.