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No Invitation Has Been Extended From Biden to Israel’s Netanyahu Yet

Then-Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands while giving joint statements at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, March 9, 2016. (Debbie Hill/AFP via Getty Images)
Then-Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands while giving joint statements at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, March 9, 2016. (Debbie Hill/AFP via Getty Images)
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No Invitation Has Been Extended From Biden to Israel’s Netanyahu Yet

Then-Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands while giving joint statements at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, March 9, 2016. (Debbie Hill/AFP via Getty Images)
Then-Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands while giving joint statements at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, March 9, 2016. (Debbie Hill/AFP via Getty Images)

White House officials said Tuesday there are still no arrangements regarding the possibility of US President Joe Biden inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, noting that the US administration has not yet issued an official invitation.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “There is nothing on the schedule right now,” when asked by reporters whether Netanyahu was invited to visit Washington.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Biden plans to host the Israeli leader in coming months, citing US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides. He said no date had been set.

Nides said he expected any planned meeting to take place after the Jewish festival of Passover ends April 13, the Times reported.

“He obviously will be coming,” Nides said. “I assume after Passover.”

The Biden administration plans to host this week the second Summit for Democracy, a three-day, in-person and virtual event.

Kirby said that Israel “has been invited” to the Summit.

Meanwhile, the Israeli PM is likely to deliver his speech on Wednesday. An Israeli official indicated there were no plans to change Netanyahu’s participation in the summit.

According to leaked reports, a sign of rift in the Biden-Netanyahu relationship emerged after the two men conducted talks last week, during which the US President conveyed his concerns about the plans of the Israeli PM and his right-wing Likud party to change the judicial system in Israel.

Despite the public statements of US officials announcing Washington’s firm support for Israel, there is growing frustration among Republican Party leaders and opposition officials concerning the statements and provocations of some Israeli ministers delivering comments on settlements and others against the Palestinians.

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Italians Head to Polls in Referendum on Citizenship and Labor, But Vote Risks Sinking on Low Turnout

A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)
A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)
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Italians Head to Polls in Referendum on Citizenship and Labor, But Vote Risks Sinking on Low Turnout

A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)
A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)

Italians headed to the polls Monday on the second and final day of referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and on providing more job protections. But partial data showed a low turnout, well below the required 50% plus one threshold, risking to invalidate the vote.
Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non- European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs, The Associated Press said.
Partial data from Italy’s Interior Ministry published at 2100 GMT on Sunday showed that national turnout stood at 22.7%, just over half of the 41% registered at the same time of the day in the latest comparable referendum held in 2011. The polling stations close later Monday at 1300 GMT.
The new rules, if passed, could affect about 2.5 million foreign nationals who still struggle to be recognized as citizens.
The measures were proposed by Italy’s main union and left-wing opposition parties. Premier Giorgia Meloni showed up at the polls on Sunday evening but didn't cast a ballot — an action widely criticized by the left as antidemocratic, since it won't contribute to reaching the necessary threshold to make the vote valid.
“While some members of her ruling coalition have openly called for abstention, Meloni has opted for a more subtle approach,“ said analyst Wolfango Piccoli of the Teneo consultancy based in London. ”It’s yet another example of her trademark fence-sitting.’’
Rights at stake
Supporters say this reform would bring Italy’s citizenship law in line with many other European countries, promoting greater social integration for long-term residents. It would also allow faster access to civil and political rights, such as the right to vote, eligibility for public employment and freedom of movement within the EU.
“The real drama is that neither people who will vote ‘yes’ nor those who intend to vote ‘no’ or abstain have an idea of what (an) ordeal children born from foreigners have to face in this country to obtain a residence permit,” said Selam Tesfaye, an activist and campaigner with the Milan-based human rights group Il Cantiere.
Activists and opposition parties also denounced the lack of public debate on the measures, accusing the governing center-right coalition of trying to dampen interest in sensitive issues that directly impact immigrants and workers.
In May, Italy’s AGCOM communications authority lodged a complaint against RAI state television and other broadcasters over a lack of adequate and balanced coverage.
Opinion polls published in mid-May showed that only 46% of Italians were aware of the issues driving the referendums. Turnout projections were even weaker for a vote scheduled for the first weekend of Italy’s school holidays, at around 35% of around 50 million electors, well below the required quorum.
“Many believe that the referendum institution should be reviewed in light of the high levels of abstention (that) emerged in recent elections and the turnout threshold should be lowered,” said Lorenzo Pregliasco, political analyst and pollster at YouTrend.
Some analysts note, however, that the center-left opposition could claim a victory even if the referendum fails on condition that the turnout surpasses the 12.3 million voters who backed the winning center-right coalition in the 2022 general election.