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WASHINGTON – Tensions between the United States and Israel flared after President Joe Biden criticized Israeli leaders’ plan to overhaul the nation’s judicial system and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won’t be getting an invitation to the White House anytime soon.
Speaking to reporters in North Carolina, Biden said he’s concerned about the state of democracy in Israel after the proposed judicial overhaul ignited street protests and public strikes. Netanyahu put the plan on hold on Monday.
“Like many supporters of Israel, I’m very concerned,” Biden said. “And I’m concerned that they get this right. They cannot continue down this road.”
Asked if he planned to invite Netanyahu to the White House, Biden said, “not in the near term.”
Netanyahu fired back, writing in a statement posted in English on Twitter that Israel “is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends.”
“I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his longstanding commitment to Israel,” Netanyahu wrote. “The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us.”
The public spat followed days of behind-the-scenes diplomatic discussions in which Biden and other U.S. officials expressed their concerns over the judicial reform plan to Netanyahu and other Israel leaders.
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What happened in Israel?
Furor over the reforms spilled into Israel’s streets on Sunday, with tens of thousands of Israelis protesting outside parliament, workers launching a nationwide strike that paralyzed much of the country, and diplomats walking off the job at foreign ministries. The chaos followed Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who had called for a pause in the reforms.
What have Biden and Netanyahu said?
Biden expressed concerns about the reforms during a phone call with Netanyahu last week.
Netanyahu, in a national address on Monday, announced he would delay the proposal, saying he wanted “to avoid a civil war” and make time to seek a compromise.
Biden and Netanyahu have known each other for four decades. Netanyahu has been reportedly irked that Biden has not invited him to the White House since his return to power three months ago, according to reports in Israeli media.
Go deeper
Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.
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