The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden has invited him to an official visit in Washington, the date of which is yet to be

determined.

The invitation was extended during a phone call between Biden and Netanyahu, just one day before Israeli President Isaac Herzog's scheduled visit to Washington.

Although Netanyahu returned to power over six months ago, Biden had purposely delayed extending an invitation, which is typically extended to Israeli prime ministers much earlier in their terms.

The right-wing Israeli government's actions, including authorizing settler outposts in the West Bank and controversial remarks made by a member of Netanyahu's cabinet responsible for Jewish settlements, had drawn criticism from U.S. officials. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during his visit to Israel in March, was among those who expressed their concerns.

According to the statement, Netanyahu informed Biden of his intention to seek "broad public consensus" on legislation in Israel that would curtail the powers of its highest court. This legislation has been the cause of anti-government protests in Israel for several months.

The statement from the Israeli office mentioned that the two leaders engaged in a "long and warm" conversation, focusing on addressing threats from Iran and its proxies, as well as strengthening the alliance between the United States and Israel.

The White House is expected to release a statement later, providing further insight into the U.S. perspective on the phone call. Photo by U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, Wikimedia commons.