JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Tuesday, his office announced on Sunday.
“The meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden will take place on Tuesday at noon,” Netanyahu's office said in a statement, adding that the Israeli leader would fly to the United States on Monday.
Netanyahu is set to deliver a major speech to the US Congress on Wednesday as he battles mounting pressure to reach a quick ceasefire deal in the Gaza war with Hamas.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, will become the first foreign leader to address a joint session of both houses of parliament four times, surpassing Britain's Winston Churchill, who held the position three times.
Analysts say the Gaza war since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 has raised worrying tensions between Israel and the United States, its main military and diplomatic backer.
Washington fears a backlash over the growing number of civilians in Gaza, while protests in Israel by families of hostages taken by Hamas are also giving Netanyahu a headache.
Biden and some Israeli ministers have said a deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States is possible. The plan drafted in May proposes a six-week ceasefire that would include exchanging some Israeli hostages for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that negotiators were “within the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line.”
Hamas has accused Netanyahu of trying to block the deal, but Blinken has said he wants to “get this deal done” when Netanyahu is in Washington.
A potential meeting between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden has not yet been confirmed.
Israel has stepped up air strikes on the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, and Netanyahu insists only military pressure will free hostages and defeat Hamas.
“This double pressure does not delay the deal, but rather advances it,” Netanyahu told the Gaza military on Thursday.
The October 7 attacks on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli figures. Hamas also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in the Gaza Strip, including 42 whom the Israeli military says are dead.
Israeli retaliation has killed at least 38,919 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled area.
In public, Biden has expressed strong support for Israel, but he has expressed concerns about the May attack on the southern city of Rafah and temporarily suspended deliveries of heavy bombs to Israel. The 2,000-pound bomb remains banned.
“Never before have we seen such tensions,” said Steven Cook, a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“There is clearly tension in the relationship, particularly between the White House and the Israeli prime minister,” Cook said in remarks.
Even as US Republicans pressed for Netanyahu to be invited to address Congress, he lost support from Democrats.
Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat, said he would boycott Wednesday's speech, saying he would not listen to “political rhetoric that does not help bring peace to the region.”
Netanyahu said after being invited back to parliament that he would “present the truth about our just war to those who are trying to destroy us.”
Cook said Netanyahu has two goals for his trip to Washington.
First, to show that he did not “ruin” Israeli-US relations.
Netanyahu will also “try to shift the conversation from the Gaza conflict to the threats from Iran and its proxies,” to Israel and the United States, Cook added.
Much of the focus will be on whether Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump or someone close to the Republican presidential candidate.
Despite tensions, the US continues to defend Israeli interests, play a key role in mediation, and military ties remain strong, officials said.
Washington's support could prove crucial as Israel faces growing international criticism over mounting humanitarian losses from its nearly 300-day war.
In May, the International Criminal Court prosecutor asked judges to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and also requested arrest warrants for three other Hamas leaders.
The Republican majority in the House of Representatives is calling for a boycott of the International Criminal Court.
The International Court of Justice found Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal on July 19, and in February it called on the country to prevent any acts of genocide during its offensive on the Gaza Strip.
