NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden promised Wednesday to tackle “tough issues,” such as defending “checks and balances” in democracy, as he began his first meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since he took office. at the head of a far-right government at the end of last year.
Netanyahu sought to assuage concerns about his contentious judicial reform project by saying that “one thing that will never change is Israel’s commitment to democracy.”
The site of the long-anticipated meeting – a New York hotel room on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly rather than the grand stage of the Oval Office – has been interpreted in Israel as a sign of US anger with the new Netanyahu government.
The prime minister has been a frequent guest at the White House over the years, and Israeli heads of government are routinely invited to the Oval Office within weeks of taking office. But his judicial plans have raised doubts, both in Israel and the United States, about his attachment to the democratic system.
Biden began the meeting by reaffirming the “iron” friendship between the two countries and noting that “without Israel, no Jew in the world is safe. “Israel is essential.” But he also acknowledged that there are tensions with Netanyahu’s government and his measures.
“We will discuss some of the tough issues, such as upholding the democratic values that are at the heart of our partnership, including the checks and balances in our systems,” Biden said. Another topic of discussion will be a path toward a two-state solution negotiated with the Palestinians and “ensuring that Iran never, ever acquires a nuclear weapon.”
Netanyahu highlighted shared diplomatic goals in his opening remarks, such as peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he said would be possible under Biden’s leadership.
Biden offered the possibility of the coveted meeting in the Oval Office by saying that “I hope we will see each other in Washington at the end of the year.” A person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were internal discussions, said the government is studying such a meeting with Netanyahu in November or December.
Despite the cordiality at the beginning of the meeting, the fact of holding it in Manhattan and Biden’s suspicion about Netanyahu’s restructuring of the Israeli courts were signs of tension in the alliance.
“The White House meeting is a symbol of close relations and friendship and honor, and the denial of it shows exactly the opposite,” said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on relations between the two countries at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.
Biden administration officials have repeatedly raised concerns about the justice reform plan.
Netanyahu says the country’s judges, who are not elected, wield excessive power over government decisions. Critics say that by weakening the independence of the judiciary, Netanyahu is leading the country toward authoritarian rule.
His plan has divided the nation, which has been the scene of massive anti-government protests for months.
These protests have followed him to the United States, where large numbers of Israelis demonstrated in New York on Wednesday, and several hundred gathered outside the American embassy in Tel Aviv.
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2023-09-20 16:41:38
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