Biden meets with Netanyahu amid strained relations

Biden said the leaders will discuss ‘hard issues’ during their first meeting since Netanyahu returned to power last year.

Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden shakes hands on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday. Picture: AFP

President Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the first time the two leaders have met since Netanyahu regained power late last year and established what is widely viewed as the most right-wing, ultranationalist and religiously conservative government in Israel’s history.

The meeting focused on U.S.-led efforts to achieve a deal to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. and Israeli officials, which would be a significant foreign policy achievement for the Biden administration and could reshape the Middle East.

The long-awaited encounter came amid strained relations between the two leaders, as Netanyahu’s government moves to overhaul the country’s judicial system, a shift that has divided Israelis and sparked mass protests for 37 weeks straight.

In brief remarks with reporters before the meeting, Biden said that the two would discuss “some of the hard issues,” which he said include “upholding democratic values that lie at the heart of our partnership.” Biden added that these values include “checks and balances in our systems,” an apparent reference to the judicial overhaul, which critics say will harm the balance of power between the branches of government.

Biden has publicly criticised Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul Israel’s judiciary, urging him to seek a broad consensus. A senior Biden administration official said the president reiterated his views in the private discussion.

Biden administration have also refrained from meeting with key ultranationalist ministers in Netanyahu’s government, including the finance minister.

Still, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to Israel. “Even where we have some differences, my commitment to Israel is iron-clad,” Biden said. “I think without Israel, there is not a Jew in the world who is secure. I think Israel is essential.” The president also said the two planned to discuss “preserving a path to a negotiated two-state solution” with the Palestinians and that he wants to be sure that “Iran never, never acquires nuclear weapons.” In his remarks, Netanyahu said that the two leaders have known each other for four decades.

“Our friendship goes a long way and can take us a long way,” Netanyahu said. “We live at a time of great promise but also grave danger.” Despite strained ties, Netanyahu and Biden have a shared interest in normalising relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Biden is hoping to score a major foreign-policy win before the 2024 elections. Netanyahu has set normalisation with Saudi Arabia as one of his chief reasons for returning to office, alongside preventing Iran from producing nuclear weapons.

In discussing efforts to secure a deal with Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu told Biden that the Palestinians should be a part of the process, but shouldn’t have a veto, a senior Israeli official said. Biden did raise the issue of the judicial overhaul during the meeting, and the Israeli leader reiterated that he would advance a consensus plan, with or without the opposition, the official added.

The senior Biden administration official said that Biden and Netanyahu had a constructive discussion over compromises that would be required by Israel to the Palestinians as part of any Saudi deal.

“All the leaders involved in this have to do some very hard things, and that includes the prime minister of Israel,” the official said.

Netanyahu said before the meeting that he is optimistic about a potential peace accord between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he said could help “achieve reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state and advance a genuine peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” He also referenced some difficulties. “As I said, we live in — and you said — we live in uncertain times, rapidly changing times,” Netanyahu said. “So I want to reassert here before you, Mr. President, that one thing is certain, and one thing will never change. And that is Israel’s commitment to democracy. We will continue to uphold the values that both our proud democracies cherish.” Shortly before the meeting, a dozen members of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party warned against making any concessions to the Palestinians as part of the Saudi normalisation negotiations.

“We will agree to peace only in exchange for peace,” they wrote in an open letter quoting a phrase used by Netanyahu in the past. The lawmakers said they support negotiations but not giving up national territory, a reference to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which Palestinians hope will one day be their future state.

Analysts say the fact that the meeting is taking place on the sidelines of the General Assembly, and not at the White House, shows the relationship between the two administrations remains strained. As with previous U.S. administrations, Washington has been critical of the fast-paced expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank under the current Netanyahu government.

“It is a humiliation not to meet at the White House, but just on the margins of meeting in the United Nations,” says Gideon Rahat, chair of the political-science department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

In his opening remarks, Biden said, “I hope we will see each other in Washington by the end of the year.” Hundreds of protesters waving Israeli flags gathered outside the Intercontinental Hotel in Manhattan, where Biden and Netanyahu met. “Save our democracy,” read some of the signs. Thousands of Israelis also protested outside the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, calling on the Biden administration to force Netanyahu to nix his overhaul plans.

Netanyahu has been met with protesters through his journey in the U.S. this week, starting on Monday in San Jose, Calif., where he met X Corp. owner Elon Musk; outside his hotel in Manhattan; and outside the U.N., where he held meetings with several state leaders Tuesday.

Anat Peled contributed to this article.

The Wall Street Journal