Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Joe Biden at the White House this week, a source familiar with the president’s schedule told the Associated Press on Sunday.
The meeting will take place despite the U.S. president’s decision not to seek a second term in office and as the 81-year-old Democrat recovers from COVID-19 in his home state of Delaware.
According to the source, the exact timing of the meeting has not been determined. Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that the two leaders will meet on Tuesday in Washington, with the premier departing Israel for the United States on Monday morning. He is set to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress on July 24.
The Washington meeting will be the first time Biden has hosted Netanyahu at the White House since the Israeli leader returned to office following the Jewish state’s 2022 election. It comes after Biden announced on Sunday that he will not seek re-election this November. He is stepping aside for another Democratic candidate to face Republican challenger Donald Trump for the White House.
Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination for president last week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, along with his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to lead the Democratic ticket this November as she seeks the party’s nomination. The Democratic National Convention is set to kick off in Chicago next month.
Netanyahu is also expected to meet with Harris while in Washington, per the AP report.
Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress at the invitation of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
The speech will mark the fourth time the Israeli premier has addressed the legislatures, a record for a foreign leader.
