Biden not to invite Netanyahu to White House in 'near term'
3 Min Read
US President Joe Biden will reportedly not be inviting Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in the near term.
-
Demonstrators walk with Israeli flags next to a banner showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest against plans by his government to overhaul the judicial system in 'Tel Aviv', occupied Palestine, March 25, 2023 (AP)
US President Joe Biden will not be inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in the "near term", a White House correspondent said Tuesday after the US ambassador to "Israel" Thomas Nides alluded that he would.
Nides had told the Israeli Army Radio that Netanyahu would be invited to the White House in early April, saying he believed the premier would "be invited after Passover."
This comes after Netanyahu agreed to postpone the judicial overhaul bid that his cabinet was pushing for months, deciding Monday to suspend his cabinet's plans to reform the judiciary, though he stressed that "we will never give it up."
The White House a day earlier underlined that the United States is deeply concerned by events in "Israel" and "strongly urges" Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible.
"We continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible. We believe that is the best path forward for Israel," White House National Security Council Spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, said in a statement.
In the same context, Israeli media cited senior officials in the US administration as saying that they are very concerned about the situation in "Israel" and Gallant's dismissal.
"There is a minority that is ready to use violence, commit arson, and call for refusing to be drafted into the army," said Netanyahu. "Israel would not exist without the army."
"We stand before our brothers, and civil war between brothers is not allowed," he added during a press conference, stressing the need for dialogue and consultation on the issue of judicial reform.
Israeli media reported earlier in the day that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have agreed to postpone the judicial reform law until the Knesset's summer session.
Ben-Gvir commented on the decision to postpone the decision to reform the judiciary, saying: "Netanyahu pledged that the reform will be proposed in the Knesset in its summer session, even if no agreement was reached about it."
Furthermore, in response to Netanyahu taking a U-turn, mass demonstrations took place in "Tel Aviv", and the Histadrut trade union decided to stop the strike it had in place.
Ben-Gvir told Netanyahu earlier in the day, as reported by the Israeli KAN public broadcaster, that he would "resign from the government if the legislation is postponed." The far-right minister also underlined that he would continue pushing for the judicial overhaul from outside his coalition with Netanyahu.
Moreover, Nides attacked the occupation's fanatic Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a corner-stone in Netanyahu's cabinet, in response to the latter's statements on Israeli outlets, in which he urged the obliteration of a Palestinian city.
"I am really angry with him, he is stupid," said Nides, according to Israel Hayom, who only reported on this matter in Hebrew. Nides then added that Smotrich "has a flight to Washington" adding that "if I could I would throw him off the plane."
