WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday at the White House, a U.S. official said on Monday.
Biden has been battling COVID-19 since last Wednesday but is returning to Washington on Tuesday from his beach house in Delaware. Netanyahu addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.
Biden and Netanyahu are expected to discuss ways to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, as well as Iran and other topics.
It will be Biden’s first meeting with a foreign leader since he opted not to run for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Harris is to meet Netanyahu this week separate from Biden’s meeting.
A Harris aide said she will stress to Netanyahu that it is time for the Gaza conflict to end in a way where “Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Edwina Gibbs)
