U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to have a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday alongside the United Nations General Assembly sessions in New York.
This comes at a time when there’s palpable tension between the two leaders due to Netanyahu’s judicial reform plans.
In a briefing last week, national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that the leaders would “discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues focused on the shared democratic values between the US and Israel and a vision for a more stable and prosperous and integrated region, as well as to compare notes on effectively countering and deterring Iran.”
Previously in July, Biden had engaged with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House, addressing topics like the Israel-Palestinian dispute and Iran’s nuclear activities.
Before that discussion, Biden had a telephonic conversation with Netanyahu, emphasizing consensus on judicial reforms and expressing apprehensions about expanding settlements.
The White House had already hinted at a Biden-Netanyahu meeting this fall. Biden, in his Tuesday address at the UN, lauded the evolving coherence in the Middle East.
He underscored the benefits of Israel’s amplified economic collaboration with its neighbors while still emphasizing the quest for enduring peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Later on Wednesday, Biden is also set to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He will then attend campaign events and will leave New York for Washington D.C. by evening.
