President Herzog visits the White House for the first time less than a week before his country’s parliamentary elections
The unwritten rules state that the White House tenant cannot receive a foreign president on the eve of the election so as not to influence the outcome, but when he received Israeli President Isaak Herzog yesterday, Joe Biden had no intention of showing any sign of support for the Labor Party, which polls say will give seats to Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right formation. It was just about sealing, with this first friendly handshake in the Oval Office, that whatever happens in Israel next week, or in the US in two weeks, the friendship between the two governments will be unbreakable.
Herzog did not hesitate to say aloud that he chose this critical moment for both leaders on purpose: “This visit epitomizes it best: our friendship and strong ties transcend all political differences, opinions and parties.”
The moment also comes just days before Israel signs a treaty with Lebanon that Biden himself has defended since he was Obama’s vice president. And on the same day it marks the 40th day since the death of Mahsa Amini, who has unleashed furious internal protests against the regime of the Ayatollahs, an enemy of Israel. Herzog is seeking US help to fuel these protests and says he has brought more evidence to Washington that Iranian drones are the ones exploiting Ukraine. The US has already canceled talks with Tehran to renew the anti-nuclear treaty and is promising retaliation, but if Israel can add fuel to the fire, it will.
Both sides publicly acknowledged that “the Iranian challenge” took up most of the conversation between the two presidents. But according to the White House statement, Biden also “emphasized” the importance of the Israeli government taking steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and promote a two-state solution. Words that will stand on wet paper if the polls back the polls.
Source: La Verdad
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