President Joe Biden said he has no plans to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.
The Tuesday claim contradicted the words made by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides.
Biden Contradicts U.S. Ambassador: No Invitation for Netanyahu to White House https://t.co/9uvdtNhm48 pic.twitter.com/N1qLcxwcEk
— RedWave (@RedWaveBreaking) March 28, 2023
"Biden framed his refusal as a response to Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms, which aim to increase the power of the legislature, such as allowing it to approve judges (as the Senate does in the United States)," Breitbart News reported.
"Netanyahu paused his reforms on Monday to allow more time for negotiation with the left-wing opposition. In response, Ambassador Nides said that Biden would extend a long-awaited invitation to Netanyahu to visit," it added.
Biden ‘will not invite Netanyahu to White House anytime soon’ https://t.co/yk00eSE6J7
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) March 29, 2023
“I assume after Passover, obviously no date has been set yet. There’s no question he will come and meet [US President Joe] Biden," Nides previously told Israeli media.
"They will see each other personally, I’m sure, quite soon. Without question, he’ll be coming to the White House as soon as their schedules can be coordinated," he added.
Asked if he'll invite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Washington, President Biden says, "No, not in the near term."
"Hopefully, the Prime Minister can act in a way that will bring general compromise," Biden says.pic.twitter.com/FJZysErFIL
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) March 28, 2023
The latest update comes as the Biden administration has increasingly pushed against Netanyahu's government.
The actions have been blasted by some conservatives, including Sen. Tom Cotton, who has introduced a bill to train Israeli pilots if need to defend Iran from Israel.
“America needs to provide our Israeli allies with the military capabilities they need to protect themselves from an increasingly dangerous Iran," Cotton said in a statement.
"Training these pilots now will send a message to Tehran and will ensure that Israel is able to use these planes the day they receive them,” he added.
The move also comes as the U.S. recently targeted Iranian targets in Syria after an Iranian drone killed an American military contractor.
Biden may not be inviting Netanyahu, but the U.S. needs to support Israel even more as Iran seeks to cause harm to both nations and continues its efforts to develop its own nuclear weapons.