Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes opening remarks at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, March 12, 2023. Photo: Maya Alleruzzo/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Sunday in the wake of a terrorist attack on an American-Israeli man in the West Bank.

According to the White House readout of the call, Biden welcomed Sunday’s security summit between Israelis and Palestinians in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. That summit followed a similar meeting in Aqaba, Jordan, in February designed to prevent the security situation from further unraveling. Despite a commitment from both sides to defuse tensions, the surge in violence in the West Bank has continued. Sunday’s summit once again saw the attendees issue a joint communique on reducing the violence.

“The Government of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority reaffirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months,” the nine-point communique said. “This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for 4 months, and to stop authorization of any outposts for 6 months.”

For the Palestinian side, those “unilateral measures” have previously included efforts to bring a resolution condemning Israel to the UN Security Council.

The White House readout of Sunday’s call also included President Biden’s concerns about Israel’s proposed judicial reforms, the first time the two leaders have directly discussed the issue.

“The President also underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship, that democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support,” the readout said. “The President offered support for efforts underway to forge a compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with those core principles.”

By contrast, the Israeli report of the call said that the discussion focused on Iran and expanding the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries. Of the judicial reforms, the Israeli side said only that, “Prime Minister Netanyahu told President Biden that Israel was, and will remain, a strong and vibrant democracy.”

The Biden Administration has been at pains to calibrate its posture towards Netanyahu’s government since it was sworn in in December. No US official met with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during his 12 March visit to Washington, DC, and Netanyahu has reportedly told his ministers not to visit the US until he has received an invitation to visit the White House.

While the readout of Sunday’s call said the two would “stay in regular contact” in the coming weeks, it included no mention of an invitation for Netanyahu to visit Washington.