Familiar problems for Biden in Israel
The US is concerned about Israeli settlement policies, recent actions toward the Palestinians, and trade with China, but these issues are more likely to blow over than blow up.
US President Joe Biden may be having some déjà vu, as settlements have re-emerged as a source of friction in US-Israel ties.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gone. Netanyahu’s successor, Naftali Bennett, doesn’t carry the same baggage as Bibi, who alienated many Democrats by going all-in with US President Donald Trump and the Republicans.
But Bennett is as much, or more, of a believer in settlements as Netanyahu. And his decision this week to proceed with more of them in the West Bank has rattled not only the Biden Administration, but also some members of Israel’s fragile coalition government with a key government vote coming up.
2010: ‘The Americans were incandescent’
