Jazmin Li
In July 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel met with US President Joe Biden at the White House. Netanyahu also met with US Vice President Kamala Harris separately. The meetings were held ahead of Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. The Israeli prime minister was accompanied by rescued hostage Noa Argamani and relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu told the families of the hostages that the conditions for a deal for their release were ripening.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | July 22, 2024 |
| Location | Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Reason | Netanyahu was departing to Washington, DC, in the United States |
| People met | Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, US President Joe Biden, US Vice President Kamala Harris |
| Additional context | Protesters gathered to demonstrate against Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary; Netanyahu avoided them by arriving at the airport via helicopter |
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What You'll Learn
Benjamin Netanyahu met Joe Biden in Washington, DC, in 2024
In July 2024, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington, DC, to address a joint session of the US Congress. Netanyahu was accompanied by Noa Argamani, a rescued hostage, and relatives of other hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Netanyahu was scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden on Tuesday at the White House. This was Biden's first in-person meeting with a foreign leader since he contracted COVID-19 and decided not to run for reelection. The two leaders were expected to discuss a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, as well as Iran and other topics.
The meeting between Biden and Netanyahu came amid some tension in US-Israel relations. Biden's support for Israel during its offensive in Gaza drew criticism domestically, especially from younger voters. There was also controversy over Netanyahu's last speech to a joint session of Congress in 2015, which was organized behind the back of then-President Barack Obama. This previous speech drove a wedge between Israel and the Democratic Party, with many Democrats boycotting.
Netanyahu was also slated to meet separately with US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Harris was expected to stress to Netanyahu the need for a Gaza conflict resolution that ensures Israel's security, the release of all hostages, an end to the suffering of Palestinian civilians, and the realization of the Palestinian right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.
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Netanyahu met Kamala Harris separately in 2024
In 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel met with US Vice President Kamala Harris separately. Netanyahu flew to Washington, DC, on Monday, July 22, 2024, to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. He was accompanied by Noa Argamani, a rescued hostage, and relatives of other hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Netanyahu was set to meet with President Joe Biden on Thursday, a day after his speech to Congress. Biden, who had been battling COVID-19, was returning to Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Biden and Netanyahu were expected to discuss a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, among other topics.
Kamala Harris, who became the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was also scheduled to meet with Netanyahu separately. A Harris aide said she would stress to Netanyahu that the Gaza conflict must end in a way that ensures Israel's security and the release of all hostages. She also wanted the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza to end and for the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.
Netanyahu's trip to Washington, DC, came amid tattered relations with Biden and uproar from the Israeli public. His visit was marked by protests in Tel Aviv, where demonstrators blocked his route to the airport. Netanyahu had to be airlifted to the airport to avoid the protesters.
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Netanyahu was airlifted to the airport in 2023 after protesters blocked the road
On March 9, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was airlifted to the country's main international airport after protesters blocked the road to the airport. The protesters were demonstrating against Netanyahu's controversial plan to overhaul the judiciary. They held signs reading, "dictator: don't come back!" and intended to complicate Netanyahu's journey ahead of his official state visit to Rome.
Netanyahu circumvented the protesters by arriving at the airport in a police helicopter. Regular flights were not interrupted, but some travelers had to leave their cars and walk to the terminal. Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the incident.
The protests were part of nationwide demonstrations against Netanyahu and his government's contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary. The movement saw the Israeli leader having to make alternative travel plans, which some believed would deepen Netanyahu's reputation as being out of touch with Israelis.
Israel's figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, appealed for a solution in a televised speech late Thursday as the protests continued into the evening. Police were prepared to clear the demonstrators by force if necessary, but there were no immediate reports of serious violence.
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Netanyahu met Austin before his departure in 2023
On March 9, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was airlifted to the country's main international airport after protesters blocked his route. The demonstrators were protesting against Netanyahu and his government's plan to overhaul the judiciary. To avoid the protesters, Netanyahu arrived at the airport in a police helicopter, where he met Austin before his departure. Regular flights were not interrupted, and Netanyahu's office declined to comment. Netanyahu told the Italian daily La Repubblica that the protests illustrated a vibrant democracy.
The protests were part of nationwide demonstrations that had been taking place for over two months. The protesters' main objective was to complicate Netanyahu's journey to the airport ahead of his official trip to Rome. Police were on hand to ticket protesters, and they stated that they would clear the demonstrators by force if necessary. There were no reports of serious violence.
The helicopter ride allowed Netanyahu to avoid the traffic snarl caused by the protest. However, it may have also deepened his reputation as being out of touch with Israelis, especially during a time of economic slowdown and political division. Israel's figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, appealed for a compromise between Netanyahu's allies and the opposition in a televised speech.
Netanyahu's meeting with Austin before his departure in 2023 was part of a series of events that highlighted the political tension in Israel at the time. The protests and Netanyahu's airlift to the airport drew attention from both local and international media, with the prime minister's office declining to provide an official statement regarding the meeting with Austin.
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Netanyahu met with families of hostages in 2024
On July 22, 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu, along with his entourage and the families of the hostages, posed in front of the Wing of Zion official plane before departing to Washington, DC, at Ben Gurion Airport.
Netanyahu told the families of the hostages that the conditions for a deal for their release were "ripening." He credited the intense military pressure Israel was exerting on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "We are determined to get them all back. The conditions to get them back are ripening," he said, "for the simple reason that we are applying very, very strong pressure on Hamas."
Netanyahu's meeting with the families of hostages came ahead of his speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. His speech was expected to address ways to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza, as well as Iran and other topics. However, some Democrats said they would boycott the speech, while others vowed to disrupt it.
Netanyahu's trip to Washington, DC, was marked by protests in Tel Aviv, where demonstrators blocked his route to the airport. The Israeli Prime Minister had to be airlifted to the airport to circumvent the protesters. Despite the protests, Netanyahu described the demonstrations as a representation of a "vibrant democracy."
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Frequently asked questions
No one. Netanyahu was airlifted to the airport in a helicopter after protesters blocked the road to the airport.
Netanyahu met Austin before his departure.
Netanyahu met with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after arriving in Washington, DC.
Netanyahu discussed the conditions for a deal to release Israelis held hostage by Hamas. He also addressed a joint session of the US Congress.
There were nationwide protests against Netanyahu and his government's plan to overhaul the judiciary. Protesters held signs reading, "dictator: don't come back!".
