(Washington Insider Magazine) – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Aug. 26 in Washington, marking his first official foreign trip since taking office.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made the announcement in an Aug. 18 statement.
She said they will discuss regional and global security issues, including Iran, and that the visit is an “opportunity for the two leaders to discuss efforts to advance peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.”
The new Israeli prime minister’s visit “will strengthen the enduring partnership between the United States and Israel, reflect the deep ties between our governments and our people, and underscore the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” she added.
Meanwhile, Bennett’s office released a statement that matched the White House’s message and added the “Iranian nuclear issue,” but made no mention of Palestinians.
Biden and Bennett differ on policy related to Iran, with the U.S. president having campaigned to re-establish a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that was unilaterally abandoned by his predecessor, Donald Trump, in 2018.
Both Bennett and his predecessor, former Prime Minister Netanyahu, have staunchly opposed the deal, which offered an easing of sanctions on Tehran with an agreement that the country would only use uranium for energy needs and not pursue a nuclear weapon program.
Netanyahu, the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, was in office for nearly 12 years. He had a close relationship with Trump, and left office facing corruption charges that he denies, among which bribery.
He was widely criticized for his policy towards the Palestinians, which included the expansion of settlements throughout the West Bank and east Jerusalem that are considered illegal under international law.
Bennett is Netanyahu’s former chief of staff and was elected by a variety of parties across the political spectrum in an indictment of Netanyahu. The new coalition government that he leads represents eight political parties, and includes a party representing Arab citizens for the first time in the country’s history.
According to the agreement, Bennett will lead for the first half of a four-year term, before being replaced by Yair Lapid, who is a former finance minister and head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, for the latter two years.
The White House visit comes amidst rising criticism in Congress of Israel’s policy towards Palestinians, following an 11-day conflict between Israel and the leaders of Iran-backed Hamas, which the U.S. State Department classifies as a foreign terrorist organization, in May 2021.
The deadly fighting decimated the Gaza strip, killing 254 Palestinians, including at least 67 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli Military reported that thirteen Israeli citizens, including two children and one soldier, were killed in the armed clashes.
