The White House does not expect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack President Joe Biden when he addresses the US Congress on Wednesday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said.
Senior US officials were reportedly concerned that the speech could include public jabs at the administration.
The US paused its delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel in early May amid calls for West Jerusalem to scale back its assault on the densely-populated city of Rafah in southern Gaza. In June, Netanyahu publicly criticized Washington for “withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel” for several months, calling it “inconceivable.”
The Israeli leader could stage a “diplomatically complicated and politically dicey spectacle for a president running for reelection,” Politico reported in June.
Talking at the Aspen Security Forum on Friday, Sullivan said he will not see the copy of the speech but expected Netanyahu to tell Biden “what he intends to say.”
A “broad preview” given by Israeli officials indicated that the PM is “intending to reinforce a set of themes and arguments that are not at odds or in contradiction to our policy, American policy,” the official added.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
Join in on more popular conversations.
