Following a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Egypt, during which they agreed to take action to defuse tensions, President Joseph Biden and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke over the phone on Sunday.
Netanyahu’s office and the Biden administration both made public readouts of the conversation, but the emphasis and tenor of the calls were very different in both.
The White House reported what appeared to be a contentious phone chat during which Biden made clear his opposition to Bibi’s proposed court reform. He strongly emphasized democracy, negotiation, and a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
But, Netanyahu’s explanation appeared to focus primarily on the Iran threat and briefly mentioned judicial reform.
He also voiced his support for ” creating a consensus” on judicial reform, underscoring his conviction that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of U.S.-Israel ties.
Biden also emphasized the significance of “security coordination” and preserving “the viability of a two-state solution.”
The Iranian menace and widening the circle of peace were the main topics of discussion, according to the Israeli readout of the call.
Israel is and will continue to be a robust and thriving democracy, according to Netanyahu, who spoke to President Biden on the need for judicial reform.
In reaction to the terrorist assault in Huwara on Sunday, Netanyahu assured Biden that Israel would keep fighting terrorism.
The alleged quotes from Biden regarding a two-state solution or a compromise on judicial reform were not included in the Israeli translation of the call. Israel’s democratic values were mentioned, but only in the context of Netayahu’s guarantee that his country would continue to be a robust and thriving democracy; no reference was made to Biden pressing Netanyahu in this regard.
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