Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will meet with US President Joe Biden in the White House in the coming weeks, according to both the White House and Bennett’s office. The announcement came on Monday as outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met in Washington with Biden.
During their meeting at the White House, Biden and Rivlin “discussed the many challenges facing the region, including the threat posed by Iran,” according to a statement released by the White House. Biden “emphasized that under his administration, Iran will never get a nuclear weapon. He also assured President Rivlin that the United States remains determined to counter Iran’s malign activity and support for terrorist proxies, which have destabilizing consequences for the region.”
Biden also expressed his “strong support for the normalization of relations between Israel and other countries in the Arab and Muslim world.”
Biden reiterated his support for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and “emphasized the importance of Israel taking steps to ensure calm, stability, and to support greater economic opportunities for the Palestinian people.”
Rivlin told Biden that the rehabilitation of Gaza in the wake of last month’s 11-day cross-border violence would only be possible when “it was understood that the issue of Israel’s missing soldiers and civilians, held by Hamas, needed to be resolved.”
Following his meeting with Biden, Rivlin met with Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that the White House was working on a date for Bennett’s visit and that Biden “looks forward to hosting Prime Minister Bennett soon.” Bennett’s spokesman said the meeting could take place in July or August.