Biden pledges to address 'hard issues' related to democracy as he meets with Israel's Netanyahu
NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday to raise “hard issues,” including protecting the “checks and balances” in a democracy, as he sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting since Netanyahu took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year.
Netanyahu tried to play down concerns about his contentious proposed judicial overhaul, saying there is “one thing that will never change and that is Israel’s commitment to democracy.”
The location of the long-anticipated meeting — a New York hotel room on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meetings rather than the grandeur of the Oval Office — has been widely interpreted in Israel as a sign of U.S. displeasure with Netanyahu’s new government.
Netanyahu has been a frequent White House visitor over the years, and Israeli leaders are typically invited within weeks of starting their tenure to the Oval Office. But his judicial proposals have raised concerns within Israel as well as the U.S. about his commitment to a democratic system.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-biden-white-house-united-nations-c6dab3cc0357f67b2054446f3c6cdc52
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