Netanyahu had been expected to visit later in March on a trip coinciding with a major pro-Israel group’s annual summit, but his office said he would not travel because he did not wish to come at the height of US presidential primaries.
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In Jerusalem on Tuesday, a 50-year-old Palestinian woman who tried to stab Israeli police officers was shot dead, a police spokeswoman said.
On Wednesday evening, the American vice president will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
“It is no secret that the Prime Minister and I have had a strong disagreement on this narrow issue, but we don’t have a disagreement on the need to make sure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon and we don’t have a disagreement about the importance of us blunting destabilizing activities that Iran may be taking”, he said.
One scenario being considered, according to the Journal, would see Israel implementing a settlement construction freeze and recognizing east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital in exchange for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and an end of their claims for a right of return.
Mr Netanyahu’s decision to nix his U.S. visit marked the latest episode in a fraught relationship with Mr Obama that has yet to recover from their deep differences over last year’s US-led global nuclear deal with Iran, Israel’s arch foe.
Mr Netanyahu and his aides suggested in February if Israel were unable to reach an accord with Mr Obama, it could wait for the next president to secure better terms.
The announcement drew a public scolding from Biden and it soured relations with Washington for months.
“The PM is looking forward to the visit of VP Biden and discussing how we can meet the many challenges facing the region”. He cleared half a day to spend time with his family, at the end of which they will have a family dinner. This was the second tragedy Biden experienced, after his first wife and daughter died in a auto accident in 1972.
A White House spokesman said on Monday Israel had requested a meeting and that two weeks ago Netanyahu was offered a March 18 encounter, but USA authorities later learned from media reports that Netanyahu had cancelled the visit.
A spokesperson for the White House said on Monday that it was “surprised” to only learn from media reports that Netanyahu turned down an invitation to meet President Barack Obama for talks later this month.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden touched down in Israel Tuesday for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders just after Palestinian attackers shot and stabbed policemen and civilians in separate assaults, the latest bloodshed in more than 5 months of near-daily Palestinian violence that shows no sign of abating.
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Later Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying Netanyahu would not be traveling to the U.S. to attend the AIPAC conference, and would also miss a potential meeting with Obama.
