Biden and Israel's Netanyahu hold long-awaited first call

[webfact]

Biden and Israel's Netanyahu hold long-awaited first call

By Rami Ayyub

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a visit to Leumit Health Care Services vaccination facility in Jerusalem where he meets the 4,000,000 person who had been vaccinated in Israel, February 16, 2021. Alex Kolomoisky/Pool via REUTERS

 

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden held a long-awaited first phone call on Wednesday after a delay that had seen Washington deny it was snubbing Israel's leader.

 

There had been speculation that the Democratic president was signalling displeasure over the conservative Netanyahu's close ties with former President Donald Trump, who called the right-wing leader two days after his inauguration in 2017.

 

Biden has spoken with about a dozen other world leaders since taking office on Jan. 20. The White House had said that Netanyahu would be the first Middle East leader he would call.

 

Biden and Netanyahu spoke for about an hour on issues including Iran and Israel's budding relations with Arab and Muslim countries in the region, Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

 

"President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed the continuation of peace agreements, the Iranian threat and challenges in the region, and agreed to continue talks between them," the statement said.

 

"The two leaders noted their longstanding personal ties and said they would work together to further strengthen the strong relations between Israel and the United States," the statement added.

 

They also spoke about ways to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the statement said.

 

The White House had denied that the delay in a Biden courtesy call was meant to disrespect Netanyahu, with spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying last week that it was "not an intentional dis".

 

Netanyahu this week acknowledged differences with Biden over Iranian and Palestinian issues, but said the two enjoy a strong working relationship.

 

The Israeli leader may find the two countries' alliance tested if Washington restores U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew, and opposes Israeli settlement building on occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood.

 

An Israeli diplomat told Reuters that Israel had been concerned about the delay in Biden calling Netanyahu, but was mindful that the U.S. president was dealing with other issues first, such as the coronavirus pandemic and challenges from Russia and China.

 

The fact that Netanyahu was the first Middle East leader called was taken as a positive sign, the diplomat said.

 

(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Franklin Paul and Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-18

 

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[Tug]

Good I hope it’s fruitful for all parties Israel the Palestinians USA and peace in the area at the very least ratcheting down tensions in the area

[Rimmer]

A misleading unattributed troll post has been removed.

[vandeventer]

Are we starting all over again? Ex-President  Trump done so many good things in the Middle-east and now it's all coming down. So even Netanyahu is confused by the Iran move. Please no more troops in the Middle- East. We have to learn from our mistakes.

[Morch]

4 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

Are we starting all over again? Ex-President  Trump done so many good things in the Middle-east and now it's all coming down. So even Netanyahu is confused by the Iran move. Please no more troops in the Middle- East. We have to learn from our mistakes.

 

What 'many good things'? A few, yes. Then again, also bad things. Coming down how? What exactly changed?

Netanyahu is not 'confused' by the 'Iran move', especially as there was no move yet.

No more troops in the Middle East? What's that about? Any new major deployments (on top of those left over from Trump's term) announced?

 

 

[Srikcir]

Peculiar sense of international diplomacy by Israel.

Netanyahu calls Trump almost immediately after his inauguration but complains about Biden not placing the first call to Netanyahu until much later. 

[Sujo]

20 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Peculiar sense of international diplomacy by Israel.

Netanyahu calls Trump almost immediately after his inauguration but complains about Biden not placing the first call to Netanyahu until much later. 

He maybe stressed about his and his wife's court appearances.

 

Or he may have forgotten the number and wants someone to blame.

[Morch]

3 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Peculiar sense of international diplomacy by Israel.

Netanyahu calls Trump almost immediately after his inauguration but complains about Biden not placing the first call to Netanyahu until much later. 

 

I think the diplomatic convention is that foreign leaders call to congratulate the President-elect soon after election results, and the President calls back at his pleasure after the inauguration. As far as I recall (and, of course, I could be wrong) that's how things went then as well. If what you said above is correct, I guess that would be Netanyahu capitalizing on getting a bit of an inner track and the Trump administration unfamiliar (or uncaring) about such diplomatic niceties. By the way, did Netanyahu openly complain about Biden not calling him?

[Pique Dard]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

Netanyahu this week acknowledged differences with Biden over Iranian and Palestinian issues, but said the two enjoy a strong working relationship.

strong working relationship, i'd say strong diplomatic relationship

[Proboscis]

7 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Are we starting all over again? Ex-President  Trump done so many good things in the Middle-east and now it's all coming down. So even Netanyahu is confused by the Iran move. Please no more troops in the Middle- East. We have to learn from our mistakes.

Well, what Trump did in the Middle East would depend on who you are. He did nothing for human rights anywhere, in any country. Slightly less right wing Israelis who are interested in a peace process will feel that he did nothing for them either. Palestinians? I think you can guess how they feel, locked up as they are in narrow strips of land with settlers boxing them in further; Yemen, where the US and the UK have helped to arm the Saudis run a bombing campaign of immence ruthlessness. And not to forget the Kurds who loyally fought with the Americans and others against the ISIS scourge only to be dropped by Trump because, well, just because . . . 

 

Sorry, you were talking about good things?