Israel's Netanyahu heading to Washington with US in flux over election race
Netanyahu visits Washington this week, under pressure to end the Gaza war both from Israelis who want hostages brought home and from a U.S. administration focusing increasingly on the presidential election.
The visit, Netanyahu's first to his most important international ally since returning for a record sixth term as prime minister at the end of 2022, has been overshadowed by President Joe Biden's decision not to seek reelection.
A meeting with Biden is tentatively planned for Tuesday if the president has recovered from Covid-19, and Netanyahu is scheduled to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.
After months of frosty relations with Washington over how Israel has conducted its offensive launched in Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, the visit offers Netanyahu a platform to try to reset relations with Washington.
His speech to Congress is expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and U.S. response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of the Gaza war spilling over into a wider regional conflict.
The speech is likely to be less confrontational than an address Netanyahu gave to Congress in 2015, when he criticised Barack Obama's drive as president for a nuclear deal with Iran.
U.S. pressure on Israel for a resumption of talks on reaching a political agreement with the Palestinians, and a U.S. threat to withhold arms, have underlined perceptions in Israel that ties with Washington have weakened under Netanyahu. He has also faced protests in Israel demanding a
