White House: Netanyahu-Biden meeting dependent on his recovery from COVID

US President Joe Biden is still expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits Washington next week but it will depend on his recovery from COVID-19, the White House said Thursday.

"We have every expectation that the two leaders will have a chance to see each other while Prime Minister Netanyahu is in town," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a briefing, according to the AFP news agency.

Netanyahu, who is set to address US Congress next Wednesday, is scheduled to meet Biden on Monday, but the President entered isolation on Wednesday evening after testing positive for COVID-19.

"I can't tell you at this point what that [meeting] exactly is going to look like. We need to make sure that the president's health and his recovery from COVID takes priority and if and how that might affect a discussion with the prime minister," Kirby said on Thursday.

He also noted that Netanyahu will meet Vice President Kamala Harris during his visit to the US.

A Biden-Netanyahu meeting would mark the first time Biden has hosted Netanyahu at the White House since Netanyahu returned to office following the 2022 election.

The two leaders last met in October, when Biden visited Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel.