Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition won the November election with a collective, decisive majority. Yet despite his posturing as a defender of democracy, Biden has refused to treat Netanyahu as a legitimate leader.
In March, Biden reneged on a promise by U.S. Ambassador Tom Nides that Netanyahu would be invited to the White House after pausing controversial judicial reforms. Instead, Biden told reporters no invite would come.
McCarthy is in Israel with a bipartisan delegation. The Israel Hayom newspaper interviewed him:
Asked if the lack of an invitation to the Israeli leader from the White House should be considered normal, the Republican said, “If that [a visit to the White House] doesn’t happen, I’ll invite the prime minister to come meet with the House. He’s a dear friend, as a prime minister of a country that we have our closest ties with,” McCarthy said. When pressed on how long he would wait, McCarthy said, “I think it’s too long now. He should invite him soon.” He added that he has already invited President Isaac Herzog to speak before both chambers of Congress in June to mark Israel’s 75th anniversary.
