President Biden is facing fire for his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog as Republicans blast Mr. Biden for snubbing Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and progressives complain the invite is an affront to Palestinians.
The White House and Mr. Herzog’s office have promoted Tuesday’s meeting as a way to underscore the U.S. commitment to Israel.
The meeting also calls attention to tension between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing government, which has persisted since the prime minister returned to office last year.
Mr. Biden views some of Mr. Netanyahu’s positions as extreme, including moves to overhaul Israel’s judiciary to give less oversight over its government and plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In a CNN interview last week, Mr. Biden said Mr. Netanyahu’s government includes some of “the most extremist members of Cabinets that I’ve seen.”
While the White House said Monday that Mr. Biden would meet with Mr. Netanyahu within the coming months in the U.S., it was unclear if those talks would include an Oval Office meeting, an honor bestowed to Mr. Herzog, whose position is largely ceremonial.
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National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu spoke on the phone Monday, and the president extended an invitation for a meeting. Mr. Kirby said the talks would occur before the end of the year, possibly autumn, but declined to provide specifics.
Meanwhile, Republicans hammered Mr. Biden for waiting seven months after Mr. Netanyahu was sworn into office before extending an invitation.
“What this Biden administration has done, I think, has been disgraceful. The way they treat a strong ally like Prime Minister Netanyahu has been disgraceful,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is also running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Mr. DeSantis added that Mr. Biden should “butt out” of Mr. Netanyahu’s plans to transform Israel’s judiciary.
As for liberal Democrats, they complained of no difference between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Herzog, saying neither is committed to finding a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
“Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address comes on behalf of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, at a time when the government is openly promising to ‘crush’ Palestinian hopes of statehood — essentially putting a nail in the coffin of peace and a two-state solution,” tweeted Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat.
Ms. Omar pledged that she would join other liberal lawmakers boycotting Mr. Herzog’s address to Congress Wednesday.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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