Netanyahu Arriving at Washington During Intense Period of Presidential Campaign

All eyes were expected to be aimed at the White House Tuesday, when President Biden was scheduled to make his first public appearance since using a post on X to withdraw from the presidential contest. That is until Covid, which was said to have prevented the president from making his withdrawal in person, reportedly forced him to cancel a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Mr. Netanyahu is nevertheless expected to thank the president for America’s help since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. He is also scheduled to meet the presumptive new Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Harris. Also during his week-long stay, the premier reportedly is attempting to arrange a meeting with the Republican nominee, President Trump. A common refrain among Israeli detractors of Mr. Netanyahu runs: “With all the political drama, nobody in America will care about this visit.” Yet, the first visit by a foreign leader since an assassination attempt against Mr. Trump and the weekend’s retooling of the Democratic lineup will test all involved, and so will likely draw intense press scrutiny. As Mr. Biden begins a longer than usual lame duck presidency, he will likely look to pad his legacy. Like others during a presidency’s twilight months, he might try to achieve a foreign policy goal that could also help Ms. Harris’s campaign. “I hope @JoeBiden views attaining a breakthrough #Saudi-#Israel-US three-way deal among the priorities for his time left in office,” the Washington Institute’s Robert Satloff writes on X. Mr. Biden is “now focused solely on statesmanship,” and “some of the political reluctance to support a deal should dissipate. And the Houthis are ‘helping’ to remind everyone about shared interests in the region.”A deal entailing an American defense treaty with the Saudis and help in building a peaceful nuclear facility could be linked to a Riyadh recognition of Israel. It would also help Mr. Netanyahu’s increasingly shaky political support at home. Even so, and despite the bold Israeli strike against a Saudi nemeses, the Houthis of Yemen, completing a peace deal could take longer than Mr. Biden has in office. When he addresses a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Mr. Netanyahu is expected to be accompanied by families of Gaza hostages. A few family members, though, have dropped out of his entourage as critics assert that for political considerations the premier is delaying a deal, which Mr. Biden is heavily promoting, for a hostage release in return for a Gaza cease-fire. On Monday, the Israel Defense Force launched a major operation at Khan Yunis. Mr. Netanyahu argues that extra military pressure will force Hamas to lower its demands. An IDF announcement Monday that two additional hostages are now dead, though, is raising anxieties among Israelis who fear that unless a deal is made soon, all hostages will die. A Gaza cease-fire could also hasten a Saudi deal, some say. “We need to finish a hostage deal that could help bring a regional calm, and create regional alliances to face multi-front threats,” an opposition Knesset member, Matan Kahana of the centrist National Unity Party, told Reshet Bet radio Monday. Yet, even if Mr. Netanyahu ignores far-right critics in his ruling coalition and closes the deal — and if Hamas leaders do the same — it is unclear whether Riyadh would rush to officially establish relations.The Saudi de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is close to Mr. Trump and his family. He might await the November election before awarding Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris a political advantage by signing on to a Mideast game-changer. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has been angry with Mr. Netanyahu for congratulating Mr. Biden on his 2020 victory. The former president’s future Mideast plans are unclear. His running mate, J.D. Vance, is promoting a non-interventionist foreign policy, but is a major Israel booster. While in office, Mr. Trump moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, removed the tag “illegal” from West Bank settlements, killed Iran’s arch-terrorist military leader, Qassem Soleimani, and ended President Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. All these moves were cheered by Mr. Netanyahu.Israeli and American critics therefore claim that the premier has always preferred Republicans to Democrats. His task this week, then, will be to ask Americans to support Israel without appearing to interfere in Washington politics.“I will tell my friends on both sides of the aisle that regardless who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East,” Mr. Netayahu told reporters accompanying him on Wing of Zion, the Israeli equivalent of Air Force One. A photo he issued from the office aboard the plane, which is making its maiden voyage, casually displays a MAGA-like baseball cap sporting Mr. Netanyahu’s slogan, “Total Victory.” The message seems to be that he now feels freer than before to resist Mr. Biden’s admonitions to avoid escalatory moves, and instead increase military pressure against Israel’s enemies.

Netanyahu Arriving at Washington During Intense Period of Presidential Campaign

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