Sitting down with Netanyahu for an hour in New York, where the two leaders were attending the United Nations’ annual high-level meeting, Biden also highlighted the need to uphold “democratic values that lie at the heart of our partnership, including checks and balances in our systems.”
A senior Israeli official downplayed the impact of the overhaul issue on the conversation, saying Israeli normalization with Saudi Arabia had been the focus of the meeting. A White House readout did not mention Israel-Saudi normalization, but did discuss regional integration.
In front of the cameras, Biden appeared upbeat on the prospects of Israel and Saudi Arabia becoming allies. “I suffer from, oxymoron, Irish optimism,” the president said. “If you and I 10 years ago were talking about normalization with Saudi Arabia, I think we’d look at each other, like, Who’s been drinking what?”
Speaking after Biden, Netanyahu said: “I think that under your leadership, Mr. President, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. READ MORE
