President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu Speak – at Last – by Phone

The growing issue over the phone call that wasn’t was put to bed on Wednesday when U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spent an hour taking note of their long relationship and addressing each of the burning issues in the Middle East. Supporters of the Jewish state saw everything from personal animosity to a sign that the importance of Mideast issues had plummeted with the new administration as Netanyahu waited 27 days for the phone call, during which time Biden found time to speak with 11 other world leaders while the media created a virtual “phone call watch” marking time until the two leaders would speak. Tension built when the president omitted Israel from his first foreign policy speech and soared several days ago when White House press secretary Jen Psaki would not acknowledge Israel as an important ally in response to a reporter’s question. Netanyahu’s office called the phone call “very friendly and warm.” Biden reportedly complimented Netanyahu on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and compared notes. They also talked about building on the normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco. Notwithstanding the positive spin surrounding the first phone call, the two men’s positions regarding the nuclear development agreement with Iran remain light years apart.