A Confident Netanyahu Takes His Message to a Weakened Biden
Still, the Israeli faces major challenges at home and abroad.
Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu in Oct. 18.
Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
For months, US President Joe Biden has been urging Israel to wind down its war on Hamas in Gaza. For more than a year, he pointedly withheld a White House invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hoping to use it as a reward for good behavior.
Yet this coming week, as Israeli warplanes continue attacking Gaza, Biden is due to receive Netanyahu Tuesday in the Oval Office, and, in a rare honor, the Israeli leader will address Congress. It’s a visit seen by many — including European and Arab allies — as a potent symbol of Biden’s declining ability to impose his will on the world.