Biden and Netanyahu to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly

(Patria) - U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Wednesday with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a White House official said. The meeting comes after months of tensions.

They will meet to discuss "shared democratic values between the United States and Israel and a vision for a more stable, prosperous, and integrated region, as well as to compare notes on effectively countering and deterring Iran," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, AFP reports.

Netanyahu announced earlier this month that he would visit the United States, one of Israel's staunchest allies, but there were initially no plans for him to meet with U.S. officials during the trip, an unusual occurrence for visits by Israeli leaders.

Biden has been critical of the judicial overhaul being pursued by Netanyahu's hard-right government, which opponents describe as a threat to democracy in Israel.

Netanyahu has yet to be invited to the White House since returning to power in December at the head of what Biden described as "one of the most extreme" administrations in Israel's history.

The White House said in July that Biden and Netanyahu "will meet in the United States later this year," without providing further details.