Washington, Jul. 25, (dpa/GNA) – US President Joe Biden is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday, at a key moment for both leaders.
The meeting comes after Netanyahu delivered a combative speech to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday in which he appealed for the US and Israel to stand shoulder to shoulder to confront the “murderous enemy” Iran.
Tensions between the two leaders have been high, particularly due to the actions of the Israeli government in the Gaza war.
The Biden administration has faulted Netanyahu for not doing enough to protect civilians in Gaza from its ground and air assaults.
Washington has also criticized Israel for not allowing more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory, where the health system has been decimated, a risk of famine persists and basic services have been crippled.
Iran harshly attacked Netanyahu following his speech before the US Congress and condemned his warm reception in the US.
Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for the Iranian foreign minister, accused Netanyahu of killing Palestinian children every day. Kanaani referred to Netanyahu as the “Butcher of Tel Aviv,” and yet the Israeli premier was welcomed with applause by the US Congress, Kanaani wrote on the platform X.
He said that after nine months of “genocide,” Netanyahu was now among his supporters in Washington.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the decades-old conflict between Israel and Iran has intensified. Israel finds itself under attack on several fronts from militias allied with Iran. Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Israel and the US have been considered arch-enemies of Iran.
Netanyahu’s visit to the United States comes amid political turmoil in the US following Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
A meeting between Netanyahu and newly minted Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is also planned for Thursday.
On Friday, former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
It is Netanyahu’s first visit to Washington in almost four years and his first trip abroad since the attack by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, which triggered a devastating retaliatory response on the Gaza Strip.
GNA