Biden’s delay in calling Netanyahu sets the tone for more evenhanded U.s.-israel relationship
WASHINGTON – It took nearly a month, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s number on President Joe Biden’s dance card finally came up.
After calling more than a dozen other world leaders since taking office, Biden on Wednesday telephoned his Israeli counterpart. Netanyahu tweeted out a photograph of himself at his desk and on the phone, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
But the long delay – seen as a diplomatic snub considering Netanyahu was
President Donald Trump’s third call to a foreign leader upon taking office – drove Israelis crazy.
Commentators and politicians were abuzz with speculation that Biden was freezing out Netanyahu after four super-cozy years with the Trump administration. Or perhaps, they were saying, Biden didn’t want to be seen favoring Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s March 23 national elections.
Danny Danon, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted out a list of 10 countries Biden had already called. “Might it now be time to call the leader of #Israel, the closest ally of the #US?” he said. He offered a phone number that Biden could dial, though it had been disconnected.
Rest assured, foreign policy experts say, Biden clearly had Netanyahu’s number – in more ways than one. By making the notoriously arrogant
Israeli leader cool his heels while waiting for a call, Biden was signaling a significant refocusing of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East to become more evenhanded in the Israeli-palestinian conflict.
“A clear message is being sent,” tweeted Aaron David Miller, a veteran Middle East peace negotiator.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki denied the president intended to slight Netanyahu.
“His first call with a leader in the region will be with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” she said Tuesday. “It will be soon.” A day later, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the call took place.
Biden, who has known Netanyahu for decades, appears eager to resume a more traditional relationship with Israel, one with strong ties and cooperation, but without the fawning support that characterized the Trump administration.
“There’s no question the Trump administration gave Israel everything it wanted – more than it wanted,” said Shira Efron, an Israel expert at think tank Rand Corp. in California. Israelis are going to have to get used to not being the center of Washington foreignpolicy discussions, at least for the near future, she said.
Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty over disputed land in Jerusalem and Golan Heights, and cut off aid to Palestinians, including to refugees and Christian hospitals.