President Biden will meet next week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as world leaders gather in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, marking their first face-to-face meeting since Netanyahu returned to office last year.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Friday the two leaders will “discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues focused on the shared democratic values between the United States and Israel, and a vision for a more stable and prosperous and integrated region.”
The two will also “compare notes on effectively countering and deterring Iran,” Sullivan said.
Relations between the White House and Netanyahu have been tense in the wake of an effort earlier this year by the prime minister’s team to push through reforms to Israel’s judiciary that would effectively allow the government to choose judges on the country’s top court.
Biden had urged Netanyahu to back away from the proposed reforms, which critics argued would erode Israel’s system of checks and balances and could protect Netanyahu from court cases in which he faces charges of bribery and corruption.
Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister for his current term in December. He said in July that he had been invited to visit the U.S., though officials had said there was no invitation at the time for a White House visit.