Biden denies Netanyahu a White House invitation

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that Benjamin Netanyahu is denied an invitation to the White House in the near future, adding that the decision is a result of the recent decisions made by the Israeli government.

Biden spoke to reporters and was asked about whether he believes Israel was at an inflection point after the antigovernmental protests as a result of Netanyahu’s efforts to push though judicial reform legislation. “Well, I don’t know that they’re at an inflection point, but I think it’s a difficult spot to be in, and they’ve got to figure it out,” he answered.

When asked about whether he would invite the Israeli premier to Washington he said “No. not in the near term.”

In a late-night post to Twitter, Netanyahu fired back at the U.S. president saying “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends,”

Netanyahu’s comments appeared to be a sign of worsening ties between Israel and the U.S.