The meeting did not take place at the White House as Netanyahu would have preferred, but in a New York hotel on the margins of the annual United Nations General Assembly, which both leaders were attending this week.
Ending a prolonged snub, President Biden held a “very candid” meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, welcoming possible rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia and cautioning him to preserve democracy at home.
Biden also referred to the importance of an independent Palestinian nation — the two-state solution — hopes for which have all but vanished with the arrival of Israel’s most right-wing and nationalistic government to date. Biden added: “If you and I 10 years ago were talking about normalization with Saudi Arabia, I think we’d look at each other like, ‘Who’s been drinking what?’”
Breaking with tradition, Biden did not invite Netanyahu to the White House immediately after his inauguration in January 2021. At the time, Netanyahu had been out of power for several months, returning last December. Still, there has been no invitation. Administration officials said the intent was to show disapproval for some of the moves the Netanyahu government was making.
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