Herzog flew to the US to heal the Biden-Netanyahu rift. Instead he exposed its depth

President Isaac Herzog’s task in Washington was as straightforward as it was delicate. With two dangerous fissures emerging – between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and between government and opposition supporters back in Israel – Herzog’s visit offered a timely opportunity to craft bridges across the chasms.

Initially, it seemed that Herzog might have succeeded in keeping Washington and Jerusalem from drifting any further apart at the very least.

Hours before Herzog took off from Israel for Washington – an invitation that Netanyahu has waited for since he returned to office – Biden spoke with the prime minister by phone, in what seemed to be an attempt to reduce the magnitude of the snub. He agreed to meet Netanyahu at long last, though it’s not yet clear when, or if it will take place at the White House. READ MORE