Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Joe Biden on a visit aimed at closing remaining “gaps” in pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, the White House said on Thursday.
The meeting came a day after the Israeli prime minister delivered a fiery speech to Congress, where thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside.
Israeli leaders face pressure at home and abroad to end the Israel-Gaza war, now in its ninth month.
Mr. Netanyahu said he has known Mr. Biden for 40 years and that the president has known every Israeli prime minister in the past half century.
“From a proud Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel,” he said.
Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Biden in the coming months “to address the big issues before us.”
The US president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli prime minister he had ever met, and his successor Yitzhak Rabin was also present as an aide.
The meeting between the two came after months of tensions over the Gaza war, with former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a friend of Biden’s, saying that Biden reached a point in May that “enough was enough.”
Biden has also previously publicly threatened to stop weapons shipments if Israel launches a large-scale ground offensive against Rafah, sparking anger in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu said in June that it was “inconceivable” that the Biden administration “has been withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel.”
At a news conference, national security spokesman John Kirby said Biden and Netanyahu discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the possibility of the conflict spilling into Lebanon, the threat from Iran and a peaceful “compromise” Necessity talks.
Although Kirby added that “there are still gaps” in the U.S.-Israel relationship, the two countries have a “healthy relationship.”
“What I mean by healthy is that they’re not going to agree on everything,” Kirby said, adding that Biden was “very happy with his relationship with the prime minister.”
U.S. and Israeli leaders also held closed-door meetings with the families of seven U.S. citizens still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
Netanyahu also plans to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee after Biden announced he was withdrawing from the re-election campaign.
Netanyahu spoke in the House of Representatives on Wednesday to defend Israel’s war in Gaza while trying to win support from U.S. politicians.
“Our enemies are your enemies,” he said, denouncing the protesters as “Iranian useful idiots.”
The White House pushed back on Netanyahu’s characterization of the protesters, with Kirby saying it was “not the language we would use” and “does not reflect our view of the “mostly peaceful” protests.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of Washington, accusing Netanyahu of being a “war criminal.”
Their loudspeakers and chants could be clearly heard in the White House as Netanyahu arrived on Thursday.
Police arrested 23 people, including five inside the Capitol.
Mr Netanyahu’s speech occasionally drew loud applause, mostly led by Republicans.
The Gaza war has deepened political divisions in Washington and led to infighting among Democrats, whose progressive wing has criticized U.S. support for Israel.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was spotted sitting in the audience holding a sign that read “Committed Genocide.”
The White House said Ms Harris did not attend Mr Netanyahu’s speech due to a scheduling conflict.
Instead, she spent part of the day speaking to a crowd at Zeta Phi Beta, a historically black sorority.
Ms. Harris expressed unwavering support for Israel. However, this stance has come at a political cost to Democrats.
During the presidential primaries, hundreds of thousands of protest votes were cast against Biden, hoping he would halt military aid to Israel.
Some people angered by his war stance see Ms. Harris as an opportunity to heal rifts within the party and win back votes.
Mr Netanyahu is expected to meet Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Friday.
