By David Isaac, World Israel News -
A new reason has emerged in ‘call-gate’ – President Joe Biden’s failure to phone America’s close ally Israel. He doesn’t want to help Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s March 23 elections.
The Jerusalem Post reports on Tuesday: “The Biden administration does not want to give the impression of interfering in the upcoming election and is concerned that Netanyahu would try to spin the phone call to gain political points, sources from two Israeli political parties who have been in contact with administration officials said.”
If correct, the sources confirm Bar-Ilan University Prof. Eytan Gilboa‘s comments to Arutz 7 on Monday that “Biden does not want to be seen as helping Netanyahu. He remembers, perhaps traumatically, that three weeks before the 2015 election, Netanyahu went to Washington to address the two houses of Congress against Obama’s plan for a nuclear deal with Iran.”
However, it seems unlikely that Biden can put off the call for yet another month. The same report says Biden “is expected to make a brief courtesy call to Netanyahu on the same day he calls other U.S. allies in the region.”
Netanyahu and his supporters have been quick to dismiss concerns the yet-to-materialize call suggests anything is wrong with U.S. Israel relations. The prime minister has been accused by opponents in the past of being responsible for an erosion in the relationship, especially during the Obama years, and wishes to avoid having such charges leveled at him again, particularly as the Israeli public is sensitive to changes in the alliance.
However, it is fair to say that the ongoing delay does mean Netanyahu will not enjoy the same warm relationship with Biden as he did with his predecessor Donald Trump.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, when asked when a call would take place, said Biden will “be talking with him soon. I don’t have a specific date or time for you on that call yet.”
