White House 'surprised' as Netanyahu cancels US visit

The White House said on Monday it was “surprised” to learn through the media that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declined an invitation to meet with US President Barack Obama in Washington later this month.

“We were looking forward to hosting the bilateral meeting,” said Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House’s national security council. “We were surprised to first learn via media reports that the prime minister, rather than accept our invitation, opted to cancel his visit.”

Price refuted Israeli media reports claiming that Netanyahu cancelled the trip after the White House had been unable to find a date for the meeting, saying that two weeks ago Netanyahu was offered a meeting with Obama on 18 March.

The trip was scheduled to coincide with the summit of AIPAC, a major pro-Israeli lobby.

Tensions between Obama and Netanyahu peaked following last year’s nuclear deal with Iran.