White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday that a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House had not yet been scheduled but he expects one to take place. "Israeli leaders have a long tradition of visiting Washington. President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu have known each other for a long, long time. I expect the prime minister will visit at some point," Kirby said, according to the Reuters news agency. His comments came after House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is visiting Israel and who addressed the Knesset on Monday, said that the US should invite Netanyahu to the White House for an official visit. "I expect the White House to invite the prime minister over for a meeting, especially with the 75th anniversary," McCarthy said at a press conference in Jerusalem, referring to Israel's marking the 75th anniversary of its independence this year. On Sunday, in an interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper, McCarthy said that if Biden does not invite Netanyahu to the White House, the Speaker will invite him to Washington for his own visit. The Biden administration and Netanyahu’s government have been in a dispute recently over the government’s proposed judicial reform. President Joe Biden recently offered very harsh criticism of Israel , saying he is “very concerned” about the goings on in light of the judicial reform and adding, “They cannot continue down this road.” Biden also added he will not be inviting Netanyahu to the White House in the near term. Netanyahu later responded to Biden and said, “The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us.” He also stressed that “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends.” Related articles: 'It's up to Netanyahu and Israel' White House backs Israel's decision to delay terrorist release Stefanik at CPAC: Hamas must be eradicated 'Never been more important to show our support for Israel' Commenting later on the tensions, Kirby stressed that "Israel is a democracy and a sovereign state, of course. And sovereign states make sovereign decisions." "Our whole point about this and our whole concern is that we'd like to see decisions made there with a good friend like Israel, that are in keeping with consensus and that can be done with the broadest possible base of public support. Because that's one of the key components of a democracy, and Israel is a democracy. It's one of the great things that our two countries share, some basic fundamental democratic institutions and principles," he said.