President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, inviting him to an “upcoming meeting in the United States,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“The prime minister responded positively to the invitation and it was agreed that the Israeli and American teams would coordinate the details of the meeting,” the Israeli statement said.
The call comes just a day before Biden is set to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial post, at the White House.
Relations between the United States and Israel have been tense in recent months after Biden criticized a judicial reform that Netanyahu had carried out despite internal protests. Biden had faced criticism for not yet inviting Netanyahu will visit the White House since the Israeli leader returned to power.
The two leaders discussed strengthening the US-Israel alliance, threats from Iran and “continuing efforts for calm and stability in Judea and Samaria,” the statement said. Israel also characterized the conversation as “warm and long.”
The meeting mirrors a similar agenda that the White House laid out for the meeting with Herzog on Tuesday. Biden and Herzog plan to discuss ways to promote Israeli and Palestinian freedom and security, Iran’s “destabilizing behavior” and ways to “deepen Israel’s regional integration,” according to the report. White House.
The White House has not confirmed that the phone call between the two presidents took place.
Netanyahu, a far-right politician, is in his sixth term.
His government has moved to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank, much to the dismay of the United States and other countries.
In March, Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman protested to Israel’s ambassador to the US about changes in Israeli law that would allow new settlements to be built in the West Bank.
The Israeli prime minister was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He and Biden last speak in March.
