Lahav Harkov
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2023
“That Biden does not want to meet with Netanyahu or members of his cabinet is amply clear. The question is why, and there are many explanations in the ether.”
President Isaac Herzog’s invitation to visit Washington this week came at a very different political time. Back in October, Yair Lapid was still the prime minister of Israel, and the Democrats had control of the US House of Representatives.
Benjamin Netanyahu becoming prime minister and having a right-wing coalition was the most likely outcome of the election set to take place days later, but there were plenty of other possibilities, especially in light of the political instability of the preceding four years.
Herzog’s invitation to Washington was clearly not intended to be a poke in Netanyahu’s eye when it was made last year. The Democratic leadership in both houses of Congress sought a way to celebrate 75 years of Israeli independence in 2023 with someone like Herzog, who was a sure thing, while it was unclear who the prime minister would be. Plus, then-speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had a close relationship with Herzog; he sent her the lyrics to “I Have No Other Country” by Ehud Manor, which she quoted after the January 6, 2021, riots.
The current speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, who renewed the invitation, also has no reason to want to snub Netanyahu, who remains a popular figure among Republicans.
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