Biden sidesteps public dispute with Netanyahu, despite US concerns

Washington: Despite tensions between them, President Joe Biden has so far avoided an acrimonious public confrontation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while trying to make clear he opposes a judicial overhaul that has shaken the close US ally. In the last three months, Biden and senior members of his team have expressed alarm about Israeli plans for settlement expansion on the West Bank and about violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Most troubling for the White House, however, was Netanyahu’s plan to reshape the Israeli judiciary system to give the government greater control over appointments to the Supreme Court. The decision propelled Israel into a national crisis with massive protests that forced Netanyahu to delay the move on Monday. Biden, who has known Netanyahu for about 40 years, has been direct with him in private phone calls, aides say, while publicly expressing support for Israel, the strongest U.S. ally in the Middle East. “The main operating premise toward this Israeli government is to avoid whenever and wherever they can any sustained public confrontation with Netanyahu,” said Aaron David Miller, a Middle East analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank. “They don’t want a fight. It’s bad politics and its bad policy. It’s messy and awkward,” he said. US administrations have long been wary of criticizing Israel in part due to the power of pro-Israel lobby groups in Washington, its role as a close ally and the support the country enjoys among ordinary Americans. The US population largely has favourable views of Israel, home of major religious sites for Christians, Jews and Muslims. A Gallup poll earlier this month showed that consistent with prior years, Americans view Israel much more favourably than they do the Palestinian Authority, 68% versus 26%. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.