President Herzog Goes to Washington

Published originally under the title "Herzog Flew to the U.S. to Heal the Biden-Netanyahu Rift. Instead He Exposed Its Depth."

Ahnaf Kalam

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 the full article at the Times of Israel.

Lazar Berman is the Times of Israel‘s diplomatic reporter and a Middle East Forum Writing Fellow.

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.
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