President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet on Monday at the White House, an Israeli official confirmed with Scripps News.
The visit will come two days before Netanyahu will speak before a joint session of Congress. The meeting also comes during a sometimes tense allyship between the U.S. and Israel as the Biden administration has expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The meeting will mark Netanyahu's first visit to the White House since signing the Abraham Accords in 2020, which normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Netanyahu was invited to the White House in September 2023 when President Biden and Netanyahu met at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The U.S. has been urging Israel to ease its offensive on Gaza, which has been ongoing since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Earlier this week, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said there remain"some major differences" between Israel and Hamas in coming up with a cease-fire agreement."Obviously, they want to protect their interests; we understand that as part of the negotiating process. But they do want to reach a cease-fire and are committed to these negotiations.
The visit comes as President Biden has drawn criticism from both sides of the U.S. political aisle. Some progressives have objected to the Biden administration's continued support of Israel in light of humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Meanwhile, some conservatives have accused the Biden administration of not providing enough support for Israel following last October's attack.