“Biden Invites Netanyahu to White House: Thawing a Frosty Relationship?

On Tuesday, President Biden invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House to discuss a reset of their bilateral relations. The invitation marks a major shift from the icy relations between the two leaders during the Obama administration. For eight years, President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu had a rocky relationship – at times even openly hostile. This was especially evident when during Obama’s tenure, the US abstained from voting on a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Since then, the relationship between the two world leaders had been chilly. President Biden, on the other hand, appears to be taking the opposite approach. He has openly signaled a willingness to repair the strained relations between the two countries and reach out to the Israeli leader, citing his deep commitment to standing by the country’s security needs. In his invitation to Netanyahu, Biden also underscored the importance of working together on regional stability. The White House visit – expected to happen sometime in June – will signify the beginning of a new chapter in US-Israeli relations. During the meeting, the two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Iran’s nuclear program. It is also expected that the meeting will serve as a platform to rebuild the trust that was once shared between the two leaders. The US-Israeli relationship remains one of the closest and most strategic in international politics. President Biden’s invitation to Netanyahu is a further sign that he intends to ensure that this relationship remains solid during his administration.