The White House is reconciling with Netanyahu: Biden's first contact in the region will be with him
After Israel's former ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, posted the prime minister's phone number, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Twitter, urging the US president to contact him, the White House announced, Tuesday evening, that US President Joe Biden's first contact with a leader in the region would be With Netanyahu.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted that there are differences with US President Joe Biden over Iran and the Palestinians, but said that the relations between them are "very strong."
Netanyahu rejected the idea that Biden was deliberately avoiding him, telling Israeli Channel 12 television: "He will call ... We have very strong friendly relations for nearly 40 years, going back to the time when I came to Washington as an Israeli diplomat and was a member of the Senate from Delaware."
On Friday, the White House denied that Biden ignored Netanyahu for not yet being included in Biden's schedule of calls with foreign leaders since he took office on January 20.
There is speculation that the Democratic president may refer to discontent with Netanyahu's close relationship with former President Donald Trump, who called Netanyahu two days after his inauguration in 2017.
Biden contacted many foreign leaders, including those of Russia, China, Britain, India, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Mexico.
The former head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Service, Amos Yadlin, who is currently the head of the Israeli National Security Research Institute, had talked about why US President Joe Biden had not contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until now, pointing to the presence of "deposits in relations" between them.
Yadlin said in statements to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: “Netanyahu has not enjoyed popularity with the Democratic Party since his speech to Congress in 2015,” adding: “His relationship with Donald Trump also led to hostility towards him in the Democratic Party.”
