U.S. President Joe Biden, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on July 25, 2024. | Photo credit: AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Thursday to discuss the war in Gaza – and the possibility of a ceasefire – with US President Joe Biden and likely Democratic Vice President nominee Kamala Harris.
Netanyahu’s first visit to the White House since 2020 comes at a time of mounting pressure in Israel and the US to find an endgame to the nine-month war, which has left more than 39,000 dead in Gaza and around 1,200 dead in Israel. Dozens of Israeli hostages still languish in Hamas captivity.
‘Gaps can be closed’
Mr. Biden, in their Oval Office, reiterated his calls for Israel and Hamas to quickly agree to a ceasefire deal that would bring the remaining hostages home, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. White House officials say negotiations are in their final stages, but there are issues that need to be resolved.
“The gaps can be closed,” Mr Kirby said. He added: “But it will, as always, require some leadership and compromise.”
Ms. Harris will meet separately with Mr. Netanyahu on Thursday. She is also expected to pressure him to make a deal for the release of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
Mr Netanyahu, who was last in the White House when former President Donald Trump was in power, will go to Florida on Friday to meet with the Republican presidential candidate.
Relationship of 40 years
Conservative Likud party leader Netanyahu and centrist Democrat Biden have had ups and downs over the years. Mr. Netanyahu, in what will likely be his last White House meeting with Mr. Biden, reflected on the roughly 40 years they have known each other and thanked the president for his service.
“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu told Mr. Biden at the start of their meeting.
A US-backed proposal to release the remaining hostages in Gaza in three phases would be a legacy-affirming achievement for Mr Biden, who abandoned his re-election bid and backed Ms Harris. It could also be a boon for Ms. Harris in her bid to succeed him.
After their talks, Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu met with the families of American hostages.
Crucial for Harris
For Ms. Harris, the meeting with Mr. Netanyahu is an opportunity to demonstrate that she has the courage to serve as commander-in-chief. She is under scrutiny by those on the political left who say Mr. Biden has not done enough to force Mr. Netanyahu to end the war, and by Republicans who want to label her as insufficient in her support for Israel.
A senior administration official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under White House ground rules, said there is “no daylight between the president and the vice president” on Israel. Ms. Harris’ last one-on-one conversation with Mr. Netanyahu was in March 2021, but she has participated in more than two dozen conversations between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu is trying to navigate his own delicate political moment. He is facing pressure from the families of the hostages who are demanding a ceasefire to bring their loved ones home, and from far-right members of his governing coalition who are demanding that he oppose any deal that could persuade the Israeli forces prevent Hamas from being eliminated.
Mr. Netanyahu, in a fiery speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, offered a strong defense of Israel’s conduct during the war and lashed out against the International Criminal Court’s accusations of Israeli war crimes. He argued that Israel, in its fight against Iran-backed Hamas, was effectively “keeping Americans off the ground while protecting our shared interests in the Middle East.”
“Remember this: our enemies are your enemies,” Netanyahu said. “Our fight, it’s your fight. And our victory will be your victory. ”
