President Joe Biden welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Thursday, in what is likely the last time the two leaders meet while in office, given Biden’s decision not to run for reelection.
Biden had refused to meet Netanyahu at the White House for nearly a year after his victory in Israel’s November 2022 general election, an unusual snub born out of Democratic antipathy toward Israeli politicians.
They finally met It was scheduled to meet in New York in September 2023 amid talk of a possible Saudi-Israeli peace deal, which would have been Biden’s big diplomatic achievement. But the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack halted that process.
After visiting Israel in October and showing solidarity with the country, Biden began criticizing Israel’s war efforts to appease the left and supported Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) demand that Prime Minister Netanyahu step down.
(Netanyahu and Schumer had a frosty meeting on Wednesday, with Netanyahu continuing to ignore Schumer as he passed the New York Democrat on the House floor.)
The 90-minute meeting was held off camera, but Netanyahu did issue a statement and addressed the tributes left in a guest book signed in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Mr. President, we’ve known each other for 40 years, and you’ve known every prime minister for the last 50 years since Golda Meir.
So, from a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel.
I look forward to the discussions with you today and to working with you over the coming months on the great challenges we face.
Netanyahu is also due to meet privately at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee to succeed Biden, who is not particularly pro-Israel and has sought to appease the anti-Israel left wing of her party.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
