‘Friends’: The White House is downplaying the public feud between Biden and Netanyahu

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By Webdesk


White House spokesman says “there is a lot of positive” about the Israeli prime minister’s statement rejecting the US president’s criticism.

Washington, D.C. – The White House has downplayed apparent tensions between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by portraying this week’s public spat as a friendly disagreement.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby stressed Wednesday that Biden and Netanyahu are “friends” who have known each other for nearly four decades.

“I’m sure you all have friends,” Kirby told reporters on Wednesday. “You don’t always agree with everything your friend does or says. And the beauty of a deep friendship is that you can be so open with each other.

A day earlier, Biden had criticized plans by Netanyahu’s far-right government to overhaul Israel’s judiciary, which opponents say would limit Israeli courts’ oversight of the government and weaken the country’s democracy.

The proposal has already sparked nationwide protests in Israel. Several American Jewish organizations, including some that staunchly support Israel, have also spoken out against the plan.

Netanyahu postponed judicial reform on Monday in the wake of mass demonstrations.

“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I am very concerned. And I’m afraid they’ll get this right. They cannot continue on this path,” Biden said Tuesday when asked about the “health of democracy” in Israel.

And I kind of made that clear. Hopefully the Prime Minister will act in such a way that he will try to work out a real compromise. But that remains to be seen.”

The US president added that he will not invite Netanyahu to the White House in the “near term”.

Netanyahu quickly responded to Biden’s comments. “Israel is a sovereign country that makes its decisions based on the will of its people and not pressure from abroad, including from its closest friends,” Netanyahu wrote in a series of tweets.

But he called the US-Israel alliance “unbreakable,” adding that his administration is committed to “strengthening democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government, which we are aiming for through a broad consensus”.

Israel — accused of imposing apartheid on Palestinians by major human rights groups, including Amnesty International — receives at least $3.8 billion annually in military aid from the US.

In addition, the US is Israel’s main diplomatic defender. Washington often uses its veto power and political clout to block United Nations Security Council proposals to condemn Israeli abuses against Palestinians.

Despite Netanyahu’s dismissal of Biden’s criticism, White House Kirby said on Wednesday that “there is a lot of positive about it” about the Israeli prime minister’s statement on judicial reform, including Netanyahu’s claim that he would seek consensus.

While the Biden administration has previously made statements against Netanyahu’s domestic policies and against Israel’s settlement expansion plans in the occupied West Bank, US officials often reaffirm Washington’s commitment to Israel.

“We continue to support Israel’s security, and our commitment to Israel’s security and democracy remains ironclad,” U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said earlier this week.

“And we are working with our Israeli partners on a number of issues, including Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

Asked if Washington remains confident in Netanyahu’s leadership abilities, Patel said, “I have no other assessment to offer.”



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