While Israel is still a critical ally, a source familiar with White House thinking said there is some payback if Netanyahu waits for a call.
The Israeli leader’s cool treatment of former President Barack Obama, his close affiliation with former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, as well as the time it took him to congratulate Biden on his victory, are significant, the source said.
Biden and Netanyahu last spoke on Nov. 17, when the Israeli leader congratulated then-elected President Biden on his victory. The call was notable because Netanyahu had struggled a week earlier to find the right words to congratulate Biden, speaking about his personal bond between the two without naming Biden the president-elect.
However, the White House has said publicly that the president will be making phone calls to fellow leaders by region and will be reaching out to those in the Middle East soon.
Biden, who has so far made 11 calls to foreign leaders plus the Secretary General of NATO, has also deployed his national security team to quickly get in touch with Israel from the gates. State Secretary Antony Blinken has spoken twice with Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with Defense Secretary Benny Gantz and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has spoken with his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben Shabbat. There is constant communication between the governments, said multiple officials familiar with US-Israel relations.
The fact that Biden hasn’t called Netanyahu yet is not a cause for concern, five of the officials said, noting the numerous other talks between the governments.
A source with knowledge of the relationship says that the absence of a phone call has not affected the dynamics of the relationship. It is not a point of friction between countries during ongoing talks, according to the source. “That’s part of normal and normalized relationships,” said the source.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters during the White House briefing Thursday that “The president is looking forward to speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He is clearly someone with whom he has a long-term relationship and there is clearly an important relationship. that the United States has with Israel in terms of security and as an important partner in the region. ”
“He will talk to him soon,” Psaki added, but declined to specify a specific date or time they would speak.
‘I assume he will call me. Believe me, I have no doubts. ‘
In a rare press conference from the longtime Israeli leader Monday, Netanyahu downplayed the delay.[President Biden] calls on leaders in whatever order he finds acceptable, North America and then Europe, “Netanyahu said.” He has not yet reached the Middle East. I assume he will call me. Believe me, I have no doubts. “
Netanyahu went on to say that the alliance between Israel and the United States was strong, even though it doesn’t mean we will agree on everything.
Meanwhile, Israel awaits.
“Joe Biden,” Danon tweeted, “you’ve called world leaders from #Canada, #Mexico, #UK, #India, #Japan, #France, #Germany, #Australia, #South Korea, #Russia. To become the leader of # To call Israel, the #US’s best ally? The Prime Minister’s number is: 972-2-670555. ”
Danon told Israeli Defense Forces Radio on Thursday that he “did not formulate the tweet, but I take responsibility for it,” adding that “the word choice was unsuccessful, but I support the message.”
Three officials said the Danon tweet was largely driven by internal Israeli politics and the long-dormant tension between Danon and Netanyahu. But the backlash came quickly, with many using Danon’s tweet to interpret Biden’s silence as politically driven.
Biden is the right size
Current and former US officials point to the decades-long, close relationship between Netanyahu and Biden, saying that if a signal is sent, it is about US strategic priorities. Biden has the “right measure” of the US’s relationship with Israel, they say, and that given the challenges of China, Russia, climate change and other issues, the Middle East is not a top priority.
Aaron David Miller, a CNN associate who is a former Middle East peace negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested that US priorities have changed rapidly in the first few weeks of the Biden administration.
“Memo to all interested parties,” he tweeted. There’s a phone call coming. But a clear message is being sent. Netanyahu was Trump’s third call. To quote Dorothy, we are no longer in Kansas. ”
“I am confident that this is not about Israel or anything that happened in the Obama or Trump years,” said Daniel Shapiro, Obama’s ambassador to Israel. “It’s simply about what Biden’s priorities are: Covid, economic recovery, climate change and racial justice. China’s challenge, and facing Russia’s challenge. He’s absolutely disciplined about those priorities. But I’m sure the call will be made pretty soon. “
The Biden administration has also sent early reassuring signals to Israel on a number of fronts, making it publicly clear that they will not reverse some of Trump’s more controversial policies, including relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and proclaiming the holy city the capital of Israel. And Blinken has made it clear that the US will adhere to the normalization agreements the Trump administration has concluded between Israel and countries in the Gulf region and elsewhere.
But Blinken’s comments about the Golan Heights to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Monday raised some eyebrows. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and has ruled it ever since, but it is considered occupied territory under international law. Trump broke with international consensus when he recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights.
Asked whether the Biden government will continue to see the Golan Heights as part of Israel, Blinken said, “Legality aside, the Golan is in practice very important to Israel’s security as long as Assad is in power in Syria, as long as Iran being present in Syria, militia groups backed by Iran, the Assad regime itself … over time, if the situation in Syria were to change, that’s something we would look into. We’re nowhere near that. “
The next day, Netanyahu said, “The Golan Heights is and will remain part of the State of Israel. With an agreement or without an agreement, we will not leave the Golan. It will remain under the sovereignty of the State of Israel.”