WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden plans to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington in the coming months, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides.
Nides, in a separate interview with the Times of Israel, said no date has been set, adding: “They will see each other personally, I’m sure, quite soon. Without question, he’ll be coming to the White House as soon as their schedules can be coordinated.”
The reports come after Netanyahu on Monday delayed a decision on bitterly contested plans for a judicial overhaul after they triggered some of the biggest protests in Israeli history.
The White House and the U.S. Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Netanyahu also had no immediate comment.
Nides, in an interview on Israeli radio, said he expected any planned meeting to take place after the Jewish festival of Passover ends April 13, the New York Times reported.
An unnamed U.S. official separately told the Times of Israel that the White House was unlikely to focus on a visit until after the spring religious holiday season and that a meeting between the leaders would be unlikely to happen for another one to two months.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Doina Chiacu and Chizu Nomiyama)
