Meanwhile, differences between the US administration and the Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu have exacerbated against the backdrop of US President Joe Biden's statements in which he announced that he would not invite Netanyahu to visit the White House in the near future.
“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I am very concerned, they cannot continue down this path,” Biden told reporters, in a statement widely circulated by Israeli networks. I kind of made that clear.”
No American president has ever been so frank about an Israeli prime minister. Biden's statement came hours after the US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Naides, announced that an invitation would soon be extended to Netanyahu to visit the White House.
In an attempt to contain the American anger, the Israeli Prime Minister's office reported that he instructed the ministers in his government not to comment on President Joe Biden's statements in which he called for abandoning the judicial amendments.
And according to the Israeli (Walla) website, US officials warned Netanyahu and those close to him against provoking Biden, pointing to
The dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant led to a boiling point, prompting Washington to send stern messages that it expects Netanyahu to halt judicial legislation.
Commentator Barak Ravid said, "It is the first time that Biden has spoken in front of the camera about the judicial reform that shook Israeli society." And he considered that Biden's comment on Netanyahu's invitation to visit the White House reveals the extent of the strained relations between the Biden administration and the Israeli government at the present time.
Netanyahu had said (Wednesday): Israel is an independent state that makes its decisions by the will of its citizens and not by external pressures, including our dearest friends. He added, in a comment on social networks, “I have known President Biden for more than 40 years, and I appreciate his long-term commitment to Israel.”
He considered that the alliance between Israel and the United States is strong and always overcomes the differences that appear between us from time to time. Netanyahu pointed out that the government he leads is committed to strengthening democracy by restoring the appropriate balance between the three powers, which we strive to achieve with a broad consensus.
In turn, the Israeli Minister of Sports and a member of the “Likud” party, Mickey Zohar, claimed that the US president was directed by fake news, but he retracted his tweet and quickly deleted it and said: “Out of respect for our important relationship with our greatest ally, the United States, I deleted the tweet.”
"It breaks my heart to see how much damage has been done to Israel from all the fake news that has been spread regarding our justifiable legal reform," added Zohar, who is close to Netanyahu.
The US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides, retracted his statement that Netanyahu might be invited to the White House after Passover, and said that no date had been set for such a visit. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council confirmed, "There is no plan for Netanyahu to visit Washington."
On the other hand, and in a remarkable development, an American official in the White House accused Netanyahu of misunderstanding the American response to his legal coup, according to his description. The Israeli channel “12” quoted this official as saying: “We do not care about the Israelis distorting the image of President Joe Biden,” stressing that “Netanyahu misjudged his statements about Biden.”
Okaz (Washington) @OKAZ_ONLINE