The Biden administration is concerned about giving an impression of interference in the upcoming election, and that Netanyahu would try to spin the phone call in order to gain political points, according to sources in two Israeli political parties who have been in contact with administration officials.
Asked why Biden has yet to call him nearly a month into his presidency, Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 12 on Monday: “We have a great friendship of almost 40 years, since I represented Israel in Washington [as deputy chief of mission] and he was in the Senate. We agree about many things, but there are disagreements on Iran and the Palestinians.”
Confronted with the argument that Biden is trying to downplay that friendship, an official close to Netanyahu said: “Precisely because there is a personal relationship that dates back four decades you have the shock-absorbers in place that can assist in weathering an occasional storm.”
Biden has called America’s direct neighbors in weeks since his inauguration, as well as major leaders in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, among others, but has not called anyone in the Middle East.
Netanyahu’s call is expected to be a brief courtesy call on the same day as other US allies in the region, the political sources said. The administration has yet to determine if Netanyahu will be the first call in the Middle East, or if Jordan’s King Abdullah will be first.
The Biden administration has made sure to maintain the US-Israel relationship below the presidential level, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan calling their Israeli counterparts, Gabi Ashkenazi and Meir Ben-Shabbat, twice, and defense cooperation continuing smoothly.
“There’s a message, but not a crisis,” one of the political sources said.
The Biden administration has said it will reach out to allies in the region, including Israel, before engaging with Iran.
