President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he would not invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, contradicting an explicit promise made earlier in the day by U.S. Ambassador Tom Nides.
Biden framed his refusal as a response to Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms, which aim to increase the power of the legislature, such as allowing it to approve judges (as the Senate does in the United States).
Netanyahu paused his reforms on Monday to allow more time for negotiation with the left-wing opposition. In response, Ambassador Nides said that Biden would extend a long-awaited invitation to Netanyahu to visit.
The Times of Israel reported:
“I’m sure he’ll be coming relatively soon,” Nides told Israel’s Army Radio. “I assume after Passover, obviously no date has been set yet. There’s no question he will come and meet [US President Joe] Biden. They will see each other personally, I’m sure, quite soon. Without question, he’ll be coming to the…
