Biden will not host Netanyahu at White House

US President Joe Biden will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this month but will not host him at the White House, The Times of Israel reported on Friday.

In March, Biden declared he would not be inviting Netanyahu “in the near term”, saying he was “very concerned” about the state of Israeli democracy amid the judicial overhaul plans pushed by the far-right coalition since it took office in December.

The Times of Israel reported a senior Israeli official saying that Netanyahu would meet Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month.

As prime minister, Netanyahu has not met with the US president since he took office about eight months ago.

In July, Netanyahu’s office announced that Biden had invited him for a meeting, without naming a venue.

The White House has repeatedly criticised statements and policies emanating from members of Netanyahu’s hardline government and the judicial overhaul plan.

Netanyahu is currently slated to address the General Assembly on 21 or 22 September.

Ties between Israel and the US have been rocky since the formation of the far-right coalition that includes extremist ministers.

The White House has condemned settlement expansions, rampant anti-Palestinian violence, the threatened erosion of civil liberties and the Israeli government’s plans to overhaul the judicial system.

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