White House miffed at Israel PM cancelling visit

A “surprised” White House bristled after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly canceled a trip to Washington.

The US insisted that President Barack Obama had offered a meeting but was turned down. Netanyahu had been expected to visit later in March on a trip coinciding with a major pro-Israel group’s annual summit. The White House said Israel had proposed two dates for a meeting between the leaders and the US had offered to meet on one of those days.

“We were looking forward to hosting the bilateral meeting,” said Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council. “We were surprised to first learn via media reports that the prime minister, rather than accept our invitation, opted to cancel his visit.” 

The unusually pointed pushback from the White House was the latest signal of ongoing tensions between the US and its closest Mideast ally, which have never fully recovered since Obama incensed Netanyahu’s government by pursuing and then enacting a nuclear deal with Iran.