The first meeting between the American president, Joe Bidenand the head of the Israeli Government, Benjamin Netanyahusince he returned to power at the end of last December, has been marked by their common desire – and today more public and optimistic than ever – for normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabiacooperation to avoid a Iran nuclearthe question Palestine and the Israeli judicial reform plan that raises tensions in Israel and fears in Washington.
The meeting was not held in the White House as Netanyahu would have liked but in NY due to the discontent of the Biden Administration over the proposed changes to the judicial establishment that has unleashed a unprecedented crisis in Israel and for the composition and statements of the ultraconservative coalition.
“Under your leadership we can make history,” Netanyahu told Biden in reference to his efforts to sign a pact with Saudi Arabia that includes the normalization of relations between Israel and the great power of the Persian Gulf.
“I believe that we will be able to forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. A peace will go a long way toward ending the Arab-Israeli conflict, achieving reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state, and promoting genuine peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It is within our reach,” Netanyahu declared at the beginning of the meeting in which Biden advanced issues that were going to be discussed indirectly alluding to the proposal that could weaken the Israeli Supreme Court: “We will discuss the values of democracy that are at the heart of our alliance and the importance of checks and balances, the two-state solution (Israel and Palestine) and ensuring that Iran never has the nuclear weapon and also on Saudi Arabia.
“If 10 years ago they had said that there would be normalization with Saudi Arabia, they would have said that we drank something,” Biden said ironically.