Israeli PM, Biden hold delayed talks in wake of Afghan blast

WASHINGTON • US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett began their first White House meeting yesterday, with Iran topping the agenda, even as the US leader grappled with the aftermath of a deadly suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

After a one-day delay due to the Islamic State-Khorasan attack that killed 13 US troops and 79 Afghans, Mr Biden and Mr Bennett met to reset the tone of US-Israeli relations and search for common ground on Iran, despite differences on how to address Teheran's nuclear programme.

Tensions complicated relations between Mr Bennett's predecessor, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, who was close to former US president Donald Trump, and the last Democratic administration led by Mr Barack Obama with Mr Biden as his vice-president.

But yesterday's meeting, the two men's first since they took office this year, was eclipsed by Thursday's attack outside Kabul airport during a chaotic US withdrawal that has posed the biggest crisis of Mr Biden's young presidency.

Mr Biden called the Israeli leader and "thanked (him) for his understanding of the change in time of their meeting, in the light of the events in Afghanistan", Mr Bennett's office said in a statement.

The Prime Minister said Israel shared America's sorrow over the deaths.

"I share our deep sadness over the loss of American lives in Kabul. Israel stands with the United States in these difficult times, just as America has always stood with us," he said in a statement.

The meeting's delay means that Mr Bennett, an Orthodox Jew who does not travel on the Sabbath, will remain in Washington until after sundown today.

Mr Bennett, 49, is on his first state visit since taking office in June as head of an ideologically divided coalition in which his hawkish party holds only a handful of seats.

He promised "a new spirit of cooperation" from Israel.

He had intended to say Israel was concerned about a potential withdrawal of US forces from Iraq and Syria because of possible future instability, an Israeli official said. The concern gained added weight after the Kabul bombing.

However, Mr Bennett's staff said he did not plan to give his opinions on events there.

"We didn't come here to comment, we came to encourage," another source in his delegation said.

"I think the Americans appreciate that a lot."

Instead, Mr Bennett planned to make Iran the focus of his visit, telling US Secretary of State Antony Blinken he wanted to address "how we fend off and curtail Iran's pursuit to dominate the region and its race to a nuclear weapon".

Israel fiercely opposes Mr Biden's attempt to reverse Mr Trump's withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Since Mr Trump's move, Iran has withdrawn from key commitments, including on uranium enrichment.

Mr Bennett and Mr Biden differ on key issues concerning the Palestinians. Mr Bennett has said he will not stop construction in settlements and opposes creating a Palestinian state in territories Israel captured in 1967, both positions at odds with Washington's.

"Two states is not relevant, not existent," the source in his delegation said.

Mr Biden's administration has restored hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians, much of which was cut by Mr Trump, who described himself as the most "pro-Israel" president in history.

Friction between Israel and Gaza escalated during Mr Bennett's visit, including violent border clashes. It was the most serious deterioration since Israel pounded Gaza with air strikes in response to thousands of rockets fired by militants in the territory in May.

Mr Dan Kurtzer, former US ambassador to Israel, said Mr Bennett's visit would set a new tone even during disagreements, adding that "even if there are differences on policy, which there will be, the two will be able to talk without this overlay of disrespect".

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE