JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Tuesday, his office said on Sunday.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with US President Joe Biden will take place on Tuesday at noon,” said a statement issued by Netanyahu's office, which added that the Israeli leader would be in the US on Monday. .
Netanyahu will deliver a key speech to the US Congress on Wednesday as he battles mounting pressure to quickly cut a Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, will become the first foreign leader to address the joint session of the two chambers four times — ahead of Britain's Winston Churchill with three.
But analysts say the war in Gaza since the October 7 attack on Hamas has fueled tensions between Israel and the United States, its military and diplomatic backer.
Washington fears a return to civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, while protests by families of hostages taken by the Hamas in Israel.
Biden and some Israeli ministers have said negotiations are possible through Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators. A plan outlined in May proposed a six-week ceasefire when some Israeli hostages would be exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that the mediator was “within the 10-meter line and driving towards the goal.”
Hamas has accused Netanyahu of trying to block a deal and Blinken said he wants to “bring the deal to the finish line” when Netanyahu is in Washington.
The expected meeting between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden has not yet been confirmed.
Israel has stepped up airstrikes on Gaza in recent weeks and Netanyahu has insisted that only military pressure can free the hostages and defeat Hamas.
“This double pressure does not delay the agreement – it advances it,” Netanyahu told the military in Gaza on Thursday.
The attack on Israel on October 7 killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP report based on Israeli figures. Hamas also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 that the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 38,919 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry.
Biden has publicly expressed strong support for Israel. But he expressed concern over an attack on the southern town of Rafah in May and temporarily suspended heavy bombardment to Israel. The supply of 2,000 kilograms of explosives is still restricted.
“The atmosphere is unprecedented,” said Steven Cook, a specialist in foreign relations.
“There is a clear strain in the relationship, especially between the White House and the Israeli prime minister,” Cook said in a statement.
While the US Republicans pressed to invite Netanyahu to address the Congress, he lost the support of the Democrats.
A Jewish senator, Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii, announced he would boycott Wednesday's speech, saying he would not listen to “political rhetoric that will do nothing to stabilize the region.”
Netanyahu said after being invited to Congress again that he “will present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us.”
Cook said Netanyahu has two goals for his trip to Washington.
First, to show that he did not “damage” Israel's relationship with the United States.
Netanyahu will also “try to shift the conversation away from the conflict in Gaza to the threat posed by Iran and its proxies” to Israel and the United States, Cook added.
Much attention will be paid to Netanyahu's meeting with Donald Trump or someone close to the Republican presidential candidate.
Despite the conflict, the United States has protected Israeli interests while playing a key role in mediation efforts, and military ties remain strong, the official said.
Washington's support could be crucial as Israel faces growing international criticism over the growing human toll of the nearly 300-day war.
International Criminal Prosecutors in May asked a judge to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. A warrant was also requested for three Hamas leaders.
A majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives requested sanctions against the ICC.
The International Court of Justice found Israel's occupation of Palestinian land illegal on July 19 and in February called on the country to prevent any further genocide in Gaza attacks.
