Biden extends invite to Israel's Netanyahu to visit US

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to an upcoming meeting in the United States, according to an Israeli readout of their phone call Monday. 

"President Biden invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet in the US soon," Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

“The prime minister responded positively to the invitation and it was agreed that the Israeli and US teams would coordinate the details of the meeting,” the statement said, adding that the pair had a "warm and long conversation."

No date or location was given, fueling speculation that the meeting would take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this September. 

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that the meeting would happen "sometime in the fall." 

Netanyahu, who was elected for a sixth term as Israel’s prime minister in November, has yet to visit Washington as is customary for new Israeli premiers. The US-Israel relationship has been strained by Netanyahu's planned judicial overhaul and his right-wing coalition's policies in the West Bank. Earlier this month, Biden said that Netanyahu's cabinet was "among the most extreme" he had ever seen in Israel. 

During their call Monday, Biden expressed concern about the settlement expansion and “called on all parties to refrain from further unilateral measures,” according to a White House readout. 

“Biden reiterated, in the context of the current debate in Israel about judicial reform, the need for the broadest possible consensus, and that shared democratic values have always been and must remain a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” the statement said. 

Netanyahu's call with Biden came a day before Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits Washington. Herzog, whose position is largely ceremonial, is scheduled to meet Biden before addressing a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.