Biden Too Busy to Call Netanyahu?

Presidential press secretary Jen Psaki downplayed the fact that U.S. President Joe Biden has yet to call Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu since the November election.

Asked at a press briefing on Tuesday if ‏‏it was “surprising,” Psaki tried not seem surprised. Instead, she seemed to say that Biden has just been too busy.

“I don’t know if it’s surprising less than two weeks into an administration,” she said. “He hasn’t called every foreign leader yet. He certainly would love to spend more time talking to foreign leaders. That’s – well, you know, his first love is foreign policy, but I expect he’ll continue to have additional engagements in the weeks ahead.”

Psaki added that the U.S. has “a long and abiding relationship with Israel – an important security relationship. I’m sure they’ll discuss that and a range of issues when they do connect.”

Netanyahu and Biden have known each other on a friendly basis for many years, but the prime minister’s enthusiastic support for former President Donald Trump has led to speculation that the Netanyahu-Biden relationship may have cooled.