Biden invites Netanyahu to meet in US ahead of Herzog visit

President Joe Biden has extended an invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet in the United States at some point in the future on the eve of a visit to the White House by his country’s head of state, President Isaac Herzog.

The invitation was first announced by Mr Netanyahu’s office, which said it came during what it described as a “long and warm conversation” between the two leaders, who have known each other for decades dating back to Mr Netanyahu’s first stint as Israel’s head of government in the 1990s.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that Mr Biden had asked Mr Netanyahu to meet at Monday’s daily press briefing.

Mr Kirby told reporters that the two leaders had “talked about a broad range of global and regional issues of mutual concern” during their conversation, and said Mr Biden had “underscored his ironclad unwavering commitment to Israel’s security” and “condemned recent acts of terror against Israeli citizens”.

“The two consulted on our close coordination to counter Iran, including through regular and ongoing joint military exercises. They noted that us that the US Israel partnership remains a cornerstone in preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he said.

The White House spokesperson also said Mr Biden had “stressed the need to take measures to maintain the viability of a two state solution and to improve the security situation in the West Bank” and told reporters that the president also “welcomed Israel’s willingness to consider new steps to support Palestinian livelihoods and recognised promising steps by the Palestinian Authority ... to reassert security control in Jenin and other areas of the West Bank”.

Mr Kirby also said that Mr Biden had used the call to address concerns about the judicial reform plan being considered by Mr Netanyahu’s government, and stressed that the president had “reiterated” comments about “the need for the broadest possible consensus” because “shared democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US Israel relationship”.

It was not immediately clear whether Mr Biden’s invitation to the Israeli head of government included the possibility of a visit to the White House. While one of Mr Netanyahu’s predecessor, Naftali Bennett, visited the White House for bilateral talks with Mr Biden in August 2021, Republicans have complained that Mr Biden’s failure to extend the same courtesy to Mr Netanyahu while inviting Mr Herzog to the White House meant the president was disrespecting the Israeli leader and showing disdain for Israel, even though the Israeli head of state’s visit has long been on the books to mark the 75th anniversary of the Jewish state’s founding.

The two leaders have met numerous times during their decades in public life, including during Mr Biden’s visit to Jerusalem just over one year ago.

Asked about the timing of the invitation, Mr Kirby said the president believes now is an “appropriate time” for “a conversation” with Mr Netanyahu “with respect to our relationship, which is a strong relationship”.

The future meeting, which Mr Kirby said would take place “sometime in the fall,” comes as protests continue to rock Israeli cities over plans by Mr Netanyahu’s Likud-led government — the most right-wing in Israel’s history — to implement reforms which would allow the Israeli parliament to nullify decisions of the country’s Supreme Court and give the government more control over judicial appointments.

While leaders of the protests have called on Mr Biden to refuse an invitation to Mr Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption as he serves out a term as prime minister, until his party abandons the plans, which critics say would eviscerate the independence of Israel’s judiciary and entrench right-wing rule.

Asked whether Mr Biden had a message for the protesters, Mr Kirby said the message is “the same message he’s been sending publicly” since the plan was first introduced.

“We believe strongly in the democratic institutions and the ideals of democracy that the United States and Israel represent, not just in their particular parts of the world, but across the world. And we want to see Israel be as vibrant and as viable democracy as possible, and that means that you build programmes and reforms and changes in a way that is based on compromise and ... the broadest possible consensus across the governing organisation,” he said.

“We’ll continue to make clear that we stand for Israel, we stand for the Israeli people, we stand for Israel’s democracy and we want to see that democracy — and the hopes and the dreams of all Israeli people and all their aspirations — met through strong, viable democratic institutions that are built on consensus and compromise”.