P.M Naftali Bennett invited US President Joe Biden to visit Israel: The meeting was "excellent"

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett described the meeting with US President Joe Biden as "excellent" - and invited him to visit Israel after overcoming the spread of the Delta strain. "It felt like we had known each other for a long time," Bennett said. "I found a leader who loves Israel, knows exactly what he wants - and is also attentive to our needs."
The prime minister said that along with him, Biden was also determined that Iran would never be able to reach nuclear weapons, and said he was happy that the target had been agreed on by both sides to work in the near future to develop cooperation channels between the two countries. "I do have to say there is not much time," Bennett said. "This issue is urgent and cannot be postponed." White House spokeswoman Jen Saki was asked how long Biden was willing to exhaust diplomatic dealings with the Iranians, and declined to name a date - but blamed the previous administration for the deteriorating situation.
"We have a personal connection at the level of picking up the phone to each other," Bennett said of the US president. "I truly thank the President and his staff for their determination to hold this meeting. Biden said that in any case we are holding the meeting and it has lengthened. I thank him for the attention and focus even though they are in a difficult event."
Bennett and Biden have established rules of the game when it comes to working together: how to work together directly and as little as possible in public. "If you need anything - pick up the phone," Biden told Bennett. A senior Israeli source said that "if there are disagreements, they should be resolved between them. And if they think they are trying to harm - not to believe, but to call and clarify things."
The source said after the meeting that although the Americans have "mental flexibility", as he puts it, the controversy over the treatment of the Iranians remains. "Bennett presented the Israeli position, using the Cold War as an analogy to what is happening in the Middle East. Israel as a Middle Eastern America, a democratic and vibrant state, while Iran is a rotten state with a rotten regime." The source noted that Bennett detailed to Biden the policy review process since taking office, and described the comprehensive strategy that Israel is implementing, rather than waiting for.
According to the source, Bennett was under the impression that the Iranian issue is important to the Americans, as is the joint work with Israel. "If two rational people agree on the same goal, we should also agree on how - and we do not. For them it is a strategic matter, and for us it is an existential matter," he said. However, the senior official stressed that "they are very smart and open-minded people. The atmosphere is not optimistic about reaching an agreement, but the matter rests mainly on the Iranian side."
The source noted that Bennett made it clear to Baiden that he thinks that although Israel is not a party to the agreement, it would be a mistake to return to it, and that in the uranium enrichment axis Israel is at a very problematic point. "They have advanced in the development of advanced centrifuges, and that cannot be undone. You cannot forget knowledge. However, the way to deal with Iran is not in war, but in many small military operations from the gray area. We need as little drama, noise and ringing as possible - and expend our enemies' energy. Congratulations. "
On the Palestinian issue, Bennett made it clear to Baiden that the new government does not intend to make "sharp inquiries" regarding settlement construction. "The American position is well known," a senior Israeli official explained. "They oppose construction in the settlements and there is no solution. We will have to roll over." He said that Israel and the United States are determined not to define the relationship around the settlements. It is also clear to them, "said the senior official. Bennett also clarified that he does not intend to return to the Gaza Strip, but stressed that he is committed to prisoners and missing persons - including Hadar Goldin who was captured during a US-mediated ceasefire - and does not want the missiles to continue.
Regarding the exemption from tourist visas for Israelis, Bennett emerged optimistic from the conversation with Biden. "In the end, in order to score - the president needs to say in front of his people, 'Go do it,'" the source said, adding that the ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, Gilad Ardan, was the one who acted on the issue. "This is very good news. It will not happen tomorrow, but we are starting to work on it." The person who will focus on the issue on the Israeli side will be Ayelet Shaked, who will work with the Minister of Homeland Security, Alejandro from York.
During the personal meeting between the leaders, which lasted from 25 minutes to 50, Biden's aides came in and urged him to finish. The president replied, "I have a friend here. I want to continue." Netanyahu's name, by the way, did not come up in a meeting between them and the extended teams.
However, the climate crisis arose in a conversation between the two, and Bennett said that "one has to be blind not to see that it is real." Bennett told President Biden that Israel could help harness Israeli technology to collect oxygen emissions, create food using new methods - and even be a power that contributes to saving the world.
Regarding other regional challenges, Bennett and Biden discussed at the meeting the possibility of an American withdrawal from Iraq and Syria, and the Prime Minister presented that the Israeli position is that the American presence is important to all countries in the region. However, the Chinese issue was not mentioned.