Biden and Netanyahu to meet in New York next week

Meeting comes amid US disapproval of action taken by Israel's right-wing government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden. AFP

US President Joe Biden will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the White House said on Friday.

The September 20 meeting comes as Israel's governing coalition pushes forward with plans to overhaul the country's judiciary and as the far-right government supports new settlements in the West Bank.

The issues have soured relations between the US and Israel, two long-standing allies.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu would discuss issues pertaining to “the shared democratic values between the United States and Israel, and a vision for a more stable and prosperous and integrated region, as well as to compare notes on effectively countering and deterring Iran”.

World leaders will gather in New York next week for the UN General Assembly. Mr Biden in July invited Mr Netanyahu to visit him in the US, but the half-hearted invitation did not include a specific date or specify whether the Israeli Prime Minister would be welcomed to the White House.

Mr Biden is also due to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the General Assembly.

On his return to Washington, Mr Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Thursday for fresh talks on support for Kyiv's fight against the Russian invasion.

It would mark the second Zelenskyy visit to the White House since the war began in February 2022, and comes at a “critical time” as Ukraine seeks to make headway in its counter-offensive.

Mr Sullivan said the US is preparing additional aid for Ukraine.