Biden expected to meet with Netanyahu next week, despite COVID diagnosis

President Biden is expected to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he is in Washington next week, but the White House cautioned the president’s recovery from COVID-19 will take priority.

“We have every expectation that the two leaders will have a chance to see each other when Prime Minister Netanyahu is in town,” John Kirby, the White House communications director for national security, told reporters Thursday.

Kirby said the president’s health and his recovery after testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday will take priority and that it is unclear “if and how that might affect the discussion.”

Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress next Wednesday, and Kirby said the expectation is that the Israeli prime minister will meet with Biden the following day. Vice President Harris is also expected to see the Israeli leader.

“I can’t tell you at this point … what that exactly is going to look like. But as we get closer certainly be able to provide you some more,” Kirby said.

The meeting comes as critics in Israel and the U.S. have accused Netanyahu of prioritizing the military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip over an internationally backed cease-fire deal that Biden has taken the lead on promoting.

The Israeli Knesset, its parliament, passed a resolution Thursday rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, a key pillar of Biden’s three-phase cease-fire deal. The resolution passed with an overwhelming majority in the politically fractious government, 68-9.

“I think the best way I can respond to that is to just reiterate our firm belief in the power and the promise of a two-state solution,” Kirby said in response to a question about the resolution.

“That is not something that President Biden is going to give up on, and we’re going to keep doing everything we can to try to achieve that outcome. We know it’s not going to happen tomorrow. And we know it’s not going to be without difficulty, and we also know that it requires leadership — strong courage and leadership in the region to bring about that outcome.”