Edited by: TJVNews.com
It appears that Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon is pretty miffed that newly inaugurated US president Joe Biden has not as yet lifted the phone to call Israel, one of the US’s closest allies. And in this case, namely Israel’s longtime leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.
As to reasons why Biden has not called Netanyahu, none have been offered yet by the White House .Speculation, however, has it that even though Biden and Netanyahu’s friendship stretches back a very long way, there could be more than a touch of resentment on Biden’s part because Netanyahu was “all in” on the Trump plan for the Middle East and because Trump is considered the best US president for Israel in modern history.
This past Wednesday, Danon tweeted: “Might it now be time to call the leader of Israel, the closest ally of the US?” The PM’s number is: 972-2-6705555.”
According to a report on the World Israel News web site, Danon’s tweet was a jocular jab at Biden as the phone number he listed is an unlisted phone number with a recorded message in Hebrew saying “you have dialed a wrong number.”
Even though Danon’s intentions might have been admirable, his detractors say that his pushiness on this issue could end up backfiring on Israel and the kind of relations that it wants to have with the United States.
A source familiar with Danon during his tenure at the United Nations when he represented Israel and who spoke to the Jewish Voice on the condition of anonymity said, “Some find it surprising that Danon is waging a campaign to get Biden to call Netanyahu, when Danon himself, while in New York, never picked up a phone to call publishers of Jewish newspapers and others who had repeatedly reached out to him to solidify an important connection while he was in New York.”
According to the WIN report, pervasive coverage has been dedicated in the Israeli press to the fact that Biden has yet to reach out to Israel. For his part, Danon listed 10 world leaders that Biden has already reached out to during his five weeks in office.
WIN reported that former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who worked with Biden during the Obama administration, said Israelis should not be too worried that Biden hasn’t called yet.
“How he has spent his time, and the leaders he has spoken to, is a very clear reflection of the priorities and the emergencies that he inherits as president,” Shapiro told Times of Israel . “I don’t think there’s any other explanation.”
“He’s taking office facing more crises and emergencies both at home and abroad than any president since Franklin Roosevelt,” said Shapiro, who remained in Israel where he has been working with the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. “He’s been very disciplined about focusing on those priorities.”
“The timing of a phone call is utterly irrelevant,” Shapiro said.
Asked on Thursday why Biden has yet to talk with Netanyahu, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president will be talking with the Israeli leader “soon.” (World Israel News)
