Biden and Netanyahu set to meet at fragile moment in their relationship
CNN
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to speak on Thursday – a high-stakes meeting that comes at a crossroads for both Israel’s war in Gaza and Biden’s political future.
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to speak on Thursday – a high-stakes meeting that comes at a crossroads for both Israel’s war in Gaza and Biden’s political future. The meeting, which follows Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday, is Biden’s first meeting with a world leader since announcing he would drop out of the 2024 race, and it comes at a fragile point in their decadeslong relationship. While the US president has remained firmly behind Israel, even as its campaign in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, both leaders have traded not-so-subtle barbs in recent months over the future of the war and how Netanyahu has waged it. Biden has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “over the top,” threatened to withhold some new arms transfers and repeatedly pressured Netanyahu to scale back and be more precise in his military operation in Gaza – criticism that reached a peak when an Israeli strike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers in early April. The Israeli leader has been steadfast in his position that the war will not end until Hamas is eliminated while accusing the US of withholding weapons from its closest ally – claims that American officials flatly rejected. The moment is also crucial as Israel’s operations in Gaza threaten to snowball into a broader regional war, as Israel and Lebanon continue to trade cross-border fire. Speaking in front of Congress this week, Netanyahu did not substantially address the status of ceasefire negotiations. He instead praised Biden for his “heartfelt support” for Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack while urging the US to fast-track military aid to “dramatically expedite an end to the war.” “As we defend ourselves on all fronts, I know that America has our back and I thank you for it – all sides of the aisle,” Netanyahu said.
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