Netanyahu made himself persona non grata in Washington
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The Biden administration turns its back on the Israeli occupation's government and its leader.
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Vice President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the annual General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010. (AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen over the phone on Thursday, in an attempt to decrease tensions after US President Joe Biden's statement on Tuesday that he doesn't plan on inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, according to an Al-Monitor report.
State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel reported that Blinken had “reaffirmed the importance of the enduring US-Israeli bilateral relationship," during his conversation with Cohen.
The phone call is unlikely going to strengthen the strained ties between occupied Al-Quds and the Biden administration. As reported by Al-Monitor, "Israel" became a pariah almost overnight. It shifted from an influential actor in Washington to a less popular actor, seeking an entree into the White House.
The Israeli Prime Minister could now be pushed down to the White House B-list, which includes Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; he could even be listed near Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read next: 'Israel', US rift escalating despite Netanyahu's request for calm
After the Israeli Prime Minister took power, the Biden administration was ready to ditch the "radical nationalists" in power, such as the Israeli Police Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, while holding Netanyahu accountable for all their decisions.
Having known Netanyahu for some four decades as a "generally cautious leader", according to the report, Biden appeared to take the Israeli leader at his word when he pledged to walk straight. However, his government continued with its legislative chaos to weaken the judicial system. That said, US Ambassador Tom Nides delivered stark warnings in private.
Last weekend, Washington's gloves came off after Netanyahu fired Security Minister Yoav Gallant, referred to as the sanest between the "radical Israeli political arena." Thus, "Israel", the US' one dependable ally, as well as Middle East security, were left in the hands of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, the man who encouraged wiping out the Palestinian West Bank village of Huwara.
Analysts suggested that the Biden administration had clearly lost patience with Netanyahu. In the president's comments to reporters this week, Biden’s body language revealed that this admirer of "Israel" had also had enough of Netanyahu.
Since Netanyahu rose to power, the Biden administration has held him responsible for the dangerous turbulence that evolved from the newly adopted policy.
For the first time, Washington has lost trust in an Israeli leader. The administration is not confident that Netanyahu is making rational decisions and believes that the leader has no control over his government and coalition.
