Netanyahu congratulates ’50 years of support’ from Biden at the White House

Benjamin Netanyahu honored “50 years of support for the state of Israel” from Joe Biden as the two met at the White House on Thursday.

The meeting came a day after Israel’s prime minister delivered a fiery speech to Congress as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside.

The Israeli leader is facing pressure at home and abroad to end Israel’s war with Gaza, which is now in its ninth month.

Mr Netanyahu said he had known Mr Biden for 40 years – and that the president had known every Israeli Prime Minister for the past half century.

“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden on “the big issues before us” in the next few months.

The American president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli Prime Minister he met, and that Yitzhak Rabin, who succeeded him, was there as an aide.

The meeting between the two men follows months of tension in the Gaza war, where Mr Biden reached a point in May, according to his friend former defense secretary Chuck Hagel, when “enough is enough”.

Mr Netanyahu in June said it was “absurd” that the Biden administration was “holding weapons and ammunition” from Israel.

In a press conference, national security spokesman John Kirby said that Mr. Biden and Netanyahu discussed the urgent need for a hostage-release agreement, the conflict’s power to extend to Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach a “consensus” on peace. lectures.

While Mr Kirby added that “gaps remain” in US-Israel relations, the countries have a “healthy relationship”.

“By healthy, I mean they won’t agree on everything,” Mr Kirby said, adding that Mr Biden was “very comfortable with the relationship he has with the prime minister”.

Mr Netanyahu also plans to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who was nominated for the Democratic nomination after Mr Biden announced he was withdrawing from his re-election campaign.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu defended Israel’s war in Gaza, as he tried to gain the support of American politicians.

“Our enemies are your enemies,” he said, and denounced the protesters as “useful Iranian idiots”.

The White House disputed Mr Netanyahu’s description of the protesters, with Mr Kirby saying it was “not a phrase we would use” and “not to show what we think” of the “very peaceful” protests.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of Washington accusing Mr Netanyahu of being a “war criminal”.

Their speakers and their singing were loud in the White House as Mr Netanyahu arrived on Thursday.

Police arrested 23 people, including five inside the Capitol building.

Mr Netanyahu’s speech was sometimes met with thunderous applause, mostly led by Republicans.

The war in Gaza has widened the political divide in Washington, leading to a fight between Democrats whose wing has been critical of US support for Israel.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was seen sitting in the audience holding a sign that read “guilty of murder”.

Ms Harris did not attend Mr Netanyahu’s speech due to scheduling conflicts, the White House said.

Instead, he spent part of the day addressing a crowd from Zeta Phi Beta’s black history fraternity.

Ms. Harris has expressed strong support for Israel. However, such a stance has been politically costly for Democrats.

Hundreds of thousands of protest votes against Mr. Biden during the presidential election were those who wanted him to stop sending military aid to Israel.

Some of those angered by her embattled stance see Ms Harris as an opportunity to mend the party’s rifts, and win back votes.

Mr Netanyahu is expected to visit Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday.