NEW YORK: US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to work together toward a landmark agreement to forge diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Meeting for the first time since Netanyahu returned to power in December, both leaders signalled a desire to ease strains in their relationship, but Biden also made clear he was determined to discuss their differences.
These included Biden’s opposition to Netanyahu’s far-right government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan as well as his concern about Israel’s hard line toward the Palestinians.
“I hope we can get some things settled today,” Biden said at the start of the talks sitting side-by-side with Netanyahu in a New York hotel ballroom.
Instead of a meeting at the White House – the more prestigious venue preferred by Netanyahu - the two leaders ended up arranging their talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
US officials expected the judicial overhaul to be raised in their conversations, with Biden likely to reiterate his call for Netanyahu to reverse course, as well as efforts to counter Iran’s nuclear program.
Biden reiterated his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and also repeated his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But the biggest issue on the agenda was a US-led push to forge diplomatic relations between longtime foes Israel and Saudi Arabia, the centerpiece of broader complex negotiations that involve US security guarantees and civilian nuclear help sought by Riyadh as well as Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.
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