Biden won’t commit to inviting Netanyahu to White House

President Biden would not commit to inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, a split from previous president’s who have long welcomed the country’s longest serving prime minister.

Biden, who has split with Netanyahu due to the extreme right-wing nature of his new cabinet as well as settlement expansions, instead noted Israeli President Isaac Herzog will be visiting Washington later this month.

“The Israeli president is going to be coming. We have other contacts. I’ve been— I think it’s fair to say, an unyielding supporter of Israel for over— I’ve only been around a couple of years, but for as long as I have been around,” Biden told CNN in an interview that aired on Sunday when asked what it would take for Netanyahu to get an invitation to the White House.

“And Bibi, I think, is trying to work through how he can work through his existing problems in terms of his coalition,” he said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister again in December after he teamed up with far-right parties to form a conservative coalition and win the election. 

Biden told CNN he thinks members of Netanyahu’s cabinet are “extreme,” but also reiterated his support for the two-state solution in the Middle East. Biden has consistently promoted two states as the best path forward for the Palestinians and Israelis and he was among the earliest supporters of a two-state solution.

“I’m one of those who believes that Israel’s ultimate security rests in a two-state solution. I think it’s a mistake to think that, as some members of his cabinet— and this is one of the most extreme members of cabinets that I have… seen,” he said.

He added that he is hopeful “Bibi will continue to move toward moderation in changing the court.”

He also criticized the Palestinian Authority, saying they lost all credibility and left a vacuum for extremism.

“I think that the fact that the Palestinian Authority has lost its credibility, not necessarily because of what Israel’s done, just because it’s just lost its credibility, number one, and, number two, created a vacuum for extremism in the— among the Palestinians, the PLA. They are— there are some very extreme elements,” Biden said.

“So it’s not all Israel now on the West Bank, all Israel’s problem, but they are a part of the problem, and particularly those individuals in the cabinet who say, they have no right to— we— we can settle anywhere we want. They have no right to be here, et cetera,” Biden said referring to the expansion of Jewish settlements that often encroach on where Palestinians live.

Netanyahu, who was allied with President Trump, beat his centrist opponent to create one of the most ring-wing government Israel has ever had. Biden and lawmakers have been concerned over Netanyahu’s judicial reforms, which have been criticized by opponents as stripping Israel’s Supreme Court of its independence.

Herzog is set to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 19, which will mark the 75^th anniversary of Israel’s statehood. He address comes two months after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) addressed Israel’s parliament.