JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Joe Biden in Washington on Tuesday, his office announced on Sunday.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with US President Joe Biden at noon on Tuesday,” a statement released by Netanyahu's office said, adding that the Israeli leader would fly to the US on Monday.
Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to the US Congress on Wednesday, fending off intense pressure to quickly end the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, will become the first foreign leader to address a joint session of the two houses four times – surpassing Britain's Winston Churchill with three.
But analysts say the war in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas has created worrying tensions between Israel and the United States, its main military and diplomatic backer.
Washington fears a backlash from the growing civilian population in the Gaza Strip, while protests in Israel by families of hostages taken by Hamas are also a headache for Netanyahu.
Biden and some Israeli ministers say a deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States is possible. The plan, outlined in May, called for a six-week ceasefire in which some Israeli hostages would be exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Friday that negotiators are “inside the 10-yard line and moving toward the goal line.”
Hamas has accused Netanyahu of trying to block the deal, but Blinken said he wants to “get the deal to the finish line” when Netanyahu is in Washington.
The expected meeting between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden has not yet been confirmed.
Israel has stepped up its airstrikes on Gaza in recent weeks, and Netanyahu has insisted that only the use of military pressure can free the hostages and defeat Hamas.
“This dual pressure is not delaying the agreement — it is advancing it,” Netanyahu told troops in Gaza on Thursday.
According to AFP, based on Israeli data, the October 7 attack on Israel killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians. Hamas militants also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 Israeli soldiers say were killed.
Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 38,919 people, mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures.
Publicly, Biden has expressed strong support for Israel. But he expressed concern over the offensive on the southern city of Rafah in May and temporarily suspended shipments of heavy bombs to Israel. Shipments of 2,000-pound bombs remain embargoed.
“Never before has the atmosphere been so tense,” said Stephen Cook, a Middle East specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“There is an obvious strain in the relationship, particularly between the White House and the Israeli prime minister,” Cook said in a statement.
While US Republicans pushed to invite Netanyahu to appear before Congress, he lost support among Democrats.
One Jewish senator, Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii, announced he would boycott Wednesday's speech, saying he would not listen to “political rhetoric that does nothing to bring peace to the region.”
After being invited again to Congress, Netanyahu said he would “present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us.”
Cook said Netanyahu has two goals for his trip to Washington.
First, to show that he did not “undermine” Israel's relationship with the US.
Netanyahu will also “try to shift the conversation from the conflict in Gaza to the threat posed by Iran and its proxies” to Israel and the United States, Cook added.
Much attention will be paid to whether Netanyahu is meeting with Donald Trump or a figure close to the Republican presidential candidate.
Despite the tensions, the United States is protecting Israeli interests while playing a key role in mediation efforts, and military relations remain strong, according to officials.
Washington's support could prove crucial as Israel faces mounting international criticism over mounting humanitarian casualties in the nearly 300-day war.
In May, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked judges to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Warrants were also requested for three Hamas leaders.
The Republican majority in the House of Representatives called for sanctions against the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
On July 19, the UN International Court of Justice recognized Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories as illegal and in February called on the country to prevent any acts of genocide during the offensive on Gaza.
