The White House denied that U.S. President Joe Biden intentionally ignored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by not including him in the list of phone calls he has made to foreign leaders since taking office on January 20.
The absence of a direct contact between the Democratic U.S. president and the right-wing Israeli prime minister has led to speculation in Israel and among Middle East experts that the new American administration might indicate its discontent with the close relations that Netanyahu had with Biden's predecessor, former President Donald Trump. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki stated in a briefing with reporters, in response to a question about a potential conversation, "He (Biden) looks forward to speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu... I can assure you that will happen soon, but I do not have a specific date or timeline."
When asked if the delay in contact was meant to ignore Netanyahu, she replied, "Not intentionally. Prime Minister Netanyahu is someone the president (Biden) has known for a long time," adding that Biden "looks forward to having the conversation."
Both Trump and Biden's predecessor, Barack Obama, who served as Biden's vice president, contacted Netanyahu within days of taking office. Biden has already spoken to several leaders from countries including China, Mexico, Britain, India, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.
Within Israel, Biden is seen as a friend in Washington, but he sometimes disagrees with Netanyahu. The prime minister will face challenges if Biden returns the U.S. to the Iranian nuclear agreement from which Trump withdrew, if he decides to improve the "damaged" relations with the Palestinians as promised, and if he opposes Israeli settlement building in the occupied territories where Palestinians seek to establish their state.
