Adviser to US President Jake Sullivan found it difficult to say whether Joe Biden will receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he arrives in Washington at the invitation of Congress.
⠀
Netanyahu is scheduled to visit on July 24 to address a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives amid tensions between the Israeli cabinet and the US administration over the war in the Gaza Strip.
⠀
“I have nothing to announce today. As you know, the White House is run by planners. I am not at liberty to announce such visits in advance. He is going to speak before Congress,” Sullivan said.
⠀
He emphasized that Biden is constantly in touch with the Israeli leader.
⠀
Netanyahu already spoke in Congress in 2015 in an attempt to disrupt the Iranian nuclear deal. That visit was organized to bypass the Barack Obama administration, where Biden was vice president.
⠀
Sullivan expressed hope that by the time Netanyahu arrives, the US-lobbied deal on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages from Palestinian captivity will have already been reached.
⠀
The White House is forced to adjust its course toward unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel after numerous civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip provoked a wave of protests in the United States and negatively affected Biden’s ratings in important segments of the Democratic electorate.
