Biden meets with Israeli PM for just 134 seconds before kicking out reporters — but one head shake tells a story
The bilateral meeting came one day after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before Congress.
President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a bilateral meeting on Thursday.
The first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Biden's trip to Israel shortly after the horrific Oct. 7 attack, Biden and Netanyahu shook hands and spoke briefly before reporters were kicked out of the Oval Office.
A White House reporter shouted a poignant question at the president: Did you drop out of the 2024 election because of your health?
"From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel. And I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead on the great issues before us," Netanyahu said.
Biden, meanwhile, recounted his personal history of engaging in diplomacy with Israeli leaders as far back as Golda Meir a half-century ago.
After reporters were booted from the Oval Office, a bilateral meeting between Biden, Netanyahu, an American delegation, and an Israeli delegation commenced. A senior administration official who previewed the meeting said the discussion would focus on the Middle East and, specifically, the Israel-Hamas war.
After the public meeting — which lasted only 134 seconds, according to this C-SPAN video — both leaders and their delegations planned to meet with families of American hostages held by Hamas.
Perhaps the most significant news item extracted from the brief public meeting is a question that Biden responded to using his body language.
After Biden and Netanyahu gave their brief remarks and posed for a photo op, a White House reporter shouted a poignant question at the president: Did you drop out of the 2024 election because of your health?
It's an important question because Biden's letter announcing his decision to step aside and his Oval Office address on Wednesday did not specify why he chose to leave the race.
But on Thursday, Biden appeared to answer the question — finally.
"President Biden shook his head no when I asked him in the Oval Office if he dropped out of the race for health reasons," reported Reagan Reese.
A second reporter, Nadia Bilbassy-Charters, corroborated Reese's report.
"Journalists shouted many questions, he didn't take any, and seems to shake his head when asked if he dropped out of the race due to health issues," wrote Bilbassy-Charters in a pool report.
The bilateral meeting came one day after Netanyahu delivered a speech to Congress. His presence in Washington set off violence in the nation's capital from pro-Hamas, far-left protesters who burned American flags and waved the Hamas flag.
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Chris Enloe
Staff Writer