ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA IN THE MEDIA Arutz Sheva: Why Did Biden Not Call Israeli PM Netanyahu Yet? By Elad Benari (FEBRUARY 3, 2021 / ARUTZ SHEVA) White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday downplayed the fact that U.S. President Joe Biden has not yet called Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu since taking office. Asked during her press briefing whether the fact that Biden has not yet called Netanyahu is surprising, she replied, “I don't know that it's surprising less than two weeks into an administration. He hasn't called every foreign leader yet.” Psaki continued, “He certainly would love to spend more time talking to foreign leaders. His first love is foreign policy. But I expect he'll continue to have additional engagements in the weeks ahead. And, obviously, we have a long and abiding relationship with Israel, important security relationship. I'm sure they'll discuss that and a range of issues when they do connect.” Her comments follow reports that the Biden administration is beginning to renew ties with the Palestinian Authority that have been frozen since 2017. Barak Ravid of Axios reported on Monday that the State Department's deputy assistant secretary for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Hady Amr, spoke by phone with multiple PA officials on Monday, in the first publicly announced interactions between the sides. The PA had been boycotting the U.S. since 2017, when then-President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and announced that the U.S. embassy will be relocated there. The Biden administration is planning to roll back many of Trump’s policies related to Israel and the PA, noted Ravid in his report. When Netanyahu and Biden do speak, it is more than likely that the issue of Iran’s nuclear program will come up. While Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement nearly three years ago and proceeded to reimpose crippling sanctions on the Islamic Republic, Biden has expressed a desire to return to the deal. Netanyahu is opposed to the original agreement, but Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Gilad Erdan, recently said he does not anticipate a crisis with the new Biden administration over the differences of opinion on the Iran deal. This article was originally published in Arutz Sheva and can be found here or on our website here. In Case You Missed It... You can find information on more of President Biden's appointments HERE. ‌ ‌ ‌ About Us News Videos ZOA Report Events Founded in 1897, ZOA played a key role in the Jewish State's re-establishment. Today, ZOA is the leading major American Jewish organization courageously defending Israel and the Jewish people; fighting against all forms of antisemitism, including anti-Jewish boycotts; and promoting the Jewish people's lawful right to live in and settle historic Jewish lands. ZOA exposes that a Palestinian state would endanger Israel's existence; presents the facts about the Arab/Islamic war against Israel; and combats the anti-Israel lie that Israel is an "occupier" of her own land. ZOA spearheaded long battles to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and apply civil rights protections to Jewish students. ZOA provides free legal assistance and programs to pro-Israel students at numerous college campuses. ZOA's bold, unapologetic voice has a significant impact on public discourse and policy. DONATE NOW Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2021, All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave, 31 B, New York, NY 10017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Customer Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]