From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 10, 2023
Netanyahu: ‘Don’t worry,’ there’ll be a White House invite
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicts that he will get a White House visit, less than two weeks after President Joe Biden ruled out such an invitation when urging Netanyahu to abandon his judicial overhaul legislation.
Netanyahu is asked at his press conference about being “persona non grata” at the White House and elsewhere, and responds by referring to the White House National Security Council spokesman recently speaking about US-Israel ties being as strong as ever, and stressing the 40-year Netanyahu-Biden friendship.
“I assume you’ll have an agreement,” Netanyahu says, apparently referring to the compromise talks on the overhaul.
“And then what will you say? When there’s a visit, what will you say then?”
“Don’t worry. There’ll be a visit,” he repeats.
“Ties with the US are very close,” he adds. “Security and intelligence cooperation are taking place right now, and are stronger and closer than ever.”
Two weeks ago, Biden urged Netanyahu to “walk away” from his current judicial overhaul legislation, saying he was “very concerned” about the health of Israeli democracy, and warning that Israel “cannot continue down this road.”
Biden also gave an emphatic, “No,” when asked whether he would be inviting Netanyahu to the White House, adding: “Not in the near term.”
