Israel will be the United States’ strongest ally in the Middle East regardless of who is elected president in November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said before flying to Washington, where he was due to address the US Congress.
The visit, Netanyahu’s first to his most important international ally since returning for a record sixth term as prime minister at the end of 2022, has been overshadowed by President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection.
Netanyahu said he would thank Biden for all he has done for Israel throughout his career and discuss with him issues such as securing the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
A meeting with Biden is tentatively planned for Tuesday if the 81-year old president has recovered from Covid-19. Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday.
“I will tell my friends on both sides of the aisle that regardless of who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East,” he told reporters before taking off.
“In this time of war and uncertainty, it’s important that Israel’s enemies know that America and Israel stand together today, tomorrow and always,” Netanyahu said, adding he wanted to “anchor the bipartisan support that is so important for Israel”.
His speech to Congress is expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and US response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza spilling over into a wider regional conflict.
Meeting with Trump
Netanyahu has also requested a meeting with Donald Trump, according to Politico, which cited two people who are familiar with the request.
Both discussed the possibility of meeting in Florida face-to-face.
Trump hasn’t agreed to the meeting, but hasn’t rejected it either.
Trump slammed Netanyahu over the country’s intelligence failure on October 7.
In 2020, Trump didn’t take Netanyahu’s congratulatory statement to Biden’s win in the election lightly, which he always claimed was rigged.
US pressure on Israel
US pressure on Israel for a resumption of talks on reaching a political agreement with the Palestinians and a US threat to withhold arms have underlined perceptions in Israel that ties with Washington have weakened under Netanyahu.
He has also faced protests in Israel demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Part of the goal is to try to show that with all that’s been said, with all the protests, Netanyahu is still the leader, still has support, he still has strong relations with America,” said Yonatan Freeman, an international relations specialist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The invitation for Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress — a rare honour generally reserved for the closest US allies — was orchestrated by the House of Representatives’ Republican leadership, which has accused Biden of not showing sufficient support for Israel.
Activists opposing Israel’s carnage in Gaza and Washington’s support for Israel plan protests at the US Capitol on Wednesday. Police expect a “large number of demonstrators” and are making additional security arrangements but said there were no known threats.
