President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him to an “upcoming meeting in the U.S.,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“The Prime Minister responded positively to the invitation and it was agreed that the Israeli and U.S. teams would coordinate the details of the meeting,” the Israeli statement said.
The call comes just a day before Biden is set to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial position, at the White House.
U.S. and Israeli relations have been tense in recent months after Biden criticized a judicial overhaul that Netanyahu had undertaken despite domestic protests. Biden had faced criticism for not yet inviting Netanyahu to visit the White House since the Israeli leader returned to power.
The two leaders discussed strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance, threats from Iran and “the continuation of efforts for calm and stability in Judea and Samaria,” the statement said. Israel also characterized the conversation as “warm and long.”
The meeting reflects a similar agenda that the White House put out for the meeting with Herzog on Tuesday. Biden and Herzog plan to discuss ways to advance freedom and security for Israelis and Palestinians, Iran’s “destabilizing behavior” and ways to “deepen Israel’s regional integration,” according to the White House.
The White House has not confirmed that the phone call between the two leaders took place.
Netanyahu, a far-right politician, is in his sixth term in office.
His government has moved to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank, to the consternation of the U.S. and other countries.
In March, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman protested to Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. about changes to Israeli law that would allow new settlement construction in the West Bank.
The Israeli prime minister was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He and Biden last spoke in March.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
