” No “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be invited to the White House, “no, not right now”. US President Joe Biden recalled on Tuesday March 28 the distance at which his administration is keen to keep the Israeli Prime Minister, three months after his return to power in December 2022. For the first time, Mr. Biden publicly expressed his fears about the justice reform put forward by Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition, which is causing a historic outcry in Israel. The American ally sees it as a security issue, destabilizing its greatest ally in the Middle East.
“I hope he doesn’t take this path (…). They cannot continue on this path. I thought I said that clearly. I hope that the Prime Minister will act in such a way as to find a real compromiseMr. Biden clarified, before underlining his doubts: But that remains to be seen. »
In Israel, this declaration sounded like an unprecedented call to order from an administration which had been slow to take an interest in the crisis, which began in January, and which had long expressed its ” concern ” in a polite tone. “The Israeli Prime Minister is not welcome in the White House. Mr. Biden does not want to hear it and is not interested in his arguments. This is the most blatant and outspoken public criticism of Israel by a US president in decades.”believes Alon Pinkas, former consul general in New York and columnist for the left-wing daily Ha’aretz.
“Not one more star”
The moment chosen by Joe Biden is also impressive: he seems to condemn the proposals of the Israeli coalition in one block, the day after the announcement by the Prime Minister of a “pause” in this legislative process. Under pressure from the streets, business circles and his own defense minister, Yoav Galant, Benyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday began “a dialogue” with his opposition. Welcoming this decision, the American ambassador, Tom Nides, had estimated a little quickly that the leader could be received “soon” at the White House.
At an unusually late hour on Wednesday, at 1 a.m., Mr. Netanyahu responded defiantly to Mr. Biden. He first mentioned their closeness “forty years old” and the solidity of the alliance with Washington, which goes beyond “occasional disagreements”. Then he asserted that Israel is “a sovereign country, which makes its decisions according to the will of the people and not according to pressure from abroad, including from the best of friends”.
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