After his speech in Congress… Netanyahu meets Biden

After delivering a speech in the US Congress in which he defended the war in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Thursday in Washington with US President Joe Biden and then Vice President Kamala Harris in two meetings during which he isn’t expected to receive the same response as in Congress.

Biden, who has announced he is giving up running for a second term, will seek to put more pressure on Netanyahu in the hope of reaching a ceasefire deal in more than nine months of devastating war in the Gaza Strip.

It’s not known though, whether Netanyahu, who has difficult relations with the Democratic president, will respond to the call, especially a few months before Biden’s term ends.

The US president has affirmed his unwavering support for Israel since the conflict erupted with the launch of an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October, 2023.

But he is increasingly critical of the Jewish state as the civilian death toll in the Strip mounts.

A senior US official said Wednesday that Biden would try to address some of the remaining last gaps before reaching a deal, when he receives Netanyahu at the White House.

The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of hostages were in their final stages and an agreement could be concluded.

But he noted that basic matters are in the hands of Hamas because the hostages have it.

“I don’t expect the meeting with Netanyahu to be a matter of yes or no, but rather how can we address the recent gaps?” he said.

A truce currently depends on a few questions related to how the agreement will come into force, he said, especially after Hamas softened its position and agreed to negotiate the release of the hostages without requiring a permanent ceasefire.

Netanyahu will also meet on Thursday with Kamala Harris, now the Democratic nominee for the White House.

Harris justified her absence from Congress during the prime minister’s speech on Wednesday by saying that she had previously scheduled a move, even though by protocol she was supposed to preside over the session.

However, the vice president’s remarks about the war in Gaza suggest that her position may be different from Biden’s on Israel.

The 59-year-old former senator has so far not contradicted the president on the subject, but has repeatedly expressed the strongest position among US officials in calling for a ceasefire.

Netanyahu will then travel to Florida at the invitation of Republican White House candidate Donald Trump, with whom he has a good relationship, after thanking the former Republican president at length during his speech to Congress.

Netanyahu received a standing ovation from Republicans, who repeatedly stood in support of him during his speech, while more than sixty Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, boycotted him.

Democrats denounce his handling of the war in Gaza, with thousands of Palestinians killed, mostly women and children.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of Congress to protest Netanyahu’s speech and to demand a ceasefire, holding banners urging the United States to “stop American aid to Israel” and calling Netanyahu a “war criminal”.