Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting today (Wednesday) with US President Joe Biden at a hotel in New York City. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week.
During the meeting, Biden praised the economic corridor being created between India, the Middle East, and Europe, and stated that "democratic values" lie at the heart of the US-Israel relationship, including "checks and balances in our systems, preserving the path to a negotiated two-state solution, and ensuring that Iran never, never acquires nuclear weapons."
Biden added that he believes that "without Israel, there’s not a Jew in the world that’s secure."
Netanyahu told the President that “during these rapidly changing times, I want to reaffirm here one thing that is certain, one thing that will never change is Israel’s commitment to democracy,” and that “we will continue to uphold the values both our democracies cherish."
The Prime Minister stated that he believes it is possible for the two of them to work together to create a "better future." He further stated that he believes Biden is capable of brokering a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Shortly after Netanyahu arrived at the hotel for the meeting, the White House informed the Prime Minister's Office that the meeting would be delayed, Israel's Channel 13 News reported. Netanyahu waited at the hotel for about a half-hour before the President's motorcade arrived for the meeting.
This is the first meeting between the two leaders since Netanyahu was reelected as prime minister last year. Biden has notably refrained from inviting Netanyahu to the White House.
Hundreds of protestors demonstrated outside the hotel against the Netanyahu government.