Biden, Israel's Netanyahu agree to meet before year's end: White House

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed to have a one-on-one meeting before the end of the year, the White House announced Monday.

The leaders made the agreement during a bilateral telephone call earlier Monday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. The details of the meeting are still being worked out, including whether it will take place at the White House or another venue, he said.

Kirby said the meeting would likely take place in the fall. That timeline aligns with the UN General Assembly in New York in September, but it is not clear if a meeting on the sidelines of the gathering is under consideration.

Netanyahu has long-sought an Oval Office meeting with Biden, which has not transpired in the over two years that the US president has been in office. In March, Biden said he would not sit down with the Israeli leader "in the near term" due to a judicial overhaul plan Netanyahu is pursuing that critics say will destroy Israel's system of checks and balances.

Tensions with the US have also been exacerbated by the Israeli government's decision to significantly expand its settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, and which the US has maintained are a barrier to efforts to achieve an elusive Two-State Solution to the conflict. Statements from far-right members in Netanyahu's Cabinet has also led to repeated rows.

Kirby said Biden's decision to meet with Netanyahu does not mean "that we have less concerns over these judicial reforms or over less concerns over some of the extremist activities and behavior by some members of the Netanyahu Cabinet."

"Those concerns are still valid. They're disturbing," he said.

Biden raised those concerns during his call with Netanyahu while also emphasizing "his ironclad, unwavering commitment to Israel's security, and he condemned recent acts of terror against Israeli citizens," Kirby said.

"The two consulted on our close coordination to counter Iran including through regular and ongoing joint military exercises. They noted that the US-Israel partnership remains a cornerstone in preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon," he added.

"The president stressed the need to take measures to maintain the viability of a two-state solution and to improve the security situation in the West Bank," he added.

Biden is slated to host Israeli President Isaac Herzog this week at the White House.