U.S. President Joe Biden met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Wednesday to address regional security challenges, including the threat posed by Iran and ways to deepen Israel's regional integration and normalization with the Arab world.
Biden underscored the United States' "ironclad" commitment to Israel.
"I'll say this 5,000 times in my career the ironclad commitment the United States has to Israel based on our principles, our ideas our values," he told Herzog in front of reporters prior to their meeting.
The visit was held ahead of potential domestic political change as the United States and Israel both face elections in the coming weeks.
"Our friendship and strong bond transcend all political differences and opinions and parties," Herzog said.
The visit is not expected to generate any significant outcome but is heavy on symbolism.
"Both sides have an interest in trying to make sure that the relationship is seen as something that's not partisan in American politics," said Jonathan Rynhold, head of the department of political studies at Israel's Bar-Ilan University.
Rynhold told VOA that it would be good optics for Biden to be seen with the center-left Herzog because "it makes Israel not a controversial issue for the Democrats."
Upcoming elections
Polls suggest that in the upcoming midterm elections in November, Democrats could lose the slim majority they have in the House of Representatives.
In the same month, Israel will hold its elections — the fifth in four years — a tight race that will pit former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Yair Lapid, who has been the caretaker prime minister since July following the collapse of Naftali Bennett's government.
With no clear majority predicted, and the role of the Israeli president to call on the prime minister to form a government, Biden will want to know what Herzog is thinking, Rynhold said. And with Israeli presidents elected every seven years, Herzog will be there no matter who becomes the next prime minister.
"If it's a Netanyahu government and it is a far-right government, then it's possible that President Herzog might be seen as a channel that is easier to deal with," said Rynhold.
Israel and Lebanon
Earlier in October, following months of mediation by the administration, Biden announced a "historic breakthrough," in which Israel and Lebanon agreed to formally end a maritime boundary dispute and establish a permanent maritime boundary.
The parties are set to sign the agreement on Thursday.
"It took a lot of courage for you to step up and step into it," Biden told Herzog on Wednesday. "It took some real guts, and I think it took principle and persistent diplomacy to get it done."
Absent the deal, conflict may break out between the two countries, Rynhold said. Given the weapons now available to Hezbollah, he added, this would mean large civilian casualties in Israel, and in Lebanon if Israel retaliates.
With Beirut agreeing to recognize a demarcation line in the Mediterranean Sea between Israel and Lebanon, the agreement allows Israel to provide for its own security in those waters, removing a point of friction with Hezbollah. And while the agreement does not constitute full recognition, it is more than what Beirut has done in the past.
The deal would also enable cash-strapped Lebanon to begin to explore offshore gas wells, which should they become operational, would increase the cost of conflict with Israel.
"Being able to exploit these natural gas wells — which will take time, perhaps many years before they're fully operational — is critical to Lebanon's future survival," Jonathan Lord told VOA. Lord is director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security.
However, the agreement is not a solution to the deeper problems between Israel and Lebanon, said David Hale, former ambassador to Lebanon and a global fellow at the Wilson Center.
"The overall fact that Hezbollah is able to make life and death decisions controlled by Tehran for all Lebanese is still a factor," he said. "And so, the potential for an escalation of violence, unfortunately, probably has not changed significantly by this agreement."
Regional air defense
In June, Israel announced it is building a U.S.-sponsored Middle East Air Defense Alliance, a network of air defense systems with its Gulf state neighbors to thwart Iranian attacks.
A bill that would promote the development of such defense architecture is currently being considered in the U.S. Congress.
The Biden administration is pursuing this to potentially reduce the U.S. military footprint in the region, Lord said, but much of the plan's details have not been made public.
"Whether it will be one network under which all the partners are operating, or more of what's referred to as a hub-and-spoke system where all the partners will reach back potentially to U.S. Central Command that will then feed information back out to other partners [remains to be seen]," Lord told VOA.
National Security Council strategic communications adviser John Kirby told VOA during a briefing Wednesday that there is no timeline for this defense architecture.
"[U.S.] Central Command is working through the modalities with our partners in the region," he said.
A regional air defense system may facilitate Israel's wider diplomatic recognition from Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, following the 2020 Abraham Accords — normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain brokered by the Trump administration.
Herzog noted that Wednesday marks 40 days since the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died under police custody after being arrested for improperly wearing her state-mandated hijab or head covering.
Iran is "crushing its own citizens, moving towards nuclear weapons, and supplying lethal weapons that are killing innocent citizens in Ukraine," Herzog said, referring to Tehran supplying Russia with drones used in Russia's war on Ukraine. Iran denies the accusation.
Israel's support for Ukraine
Israel has turned down Ukraine's request for Israeli air defense systems that could shoot down Iranian drones operated by Russia but has offered to help Ukrainians develop air attack alerts for civilians. Israel has condemned the Russian invasion but has so far limited its Ukraine assistance to humanitarian relief.
When asked whether Biden asked Herzog that Israel reconsiders the request, Kirby told VOA the administration is not "trying to guilt trip on a country" to provide a specific capability to Ukraine. "It's got to be their decision," he said.
With a Russian military presence in Syria, Israel needs to coordinate with Moscow to avoid hitting Russian forces as it targets Iranian missile bases in Syria. Alienating Moscow can also make it significantly more difficult for Israel to target Iranian weapons shipments destined for adversarial groups.
"They're focused on not antagonizing Moscow so they can continue to protect their own borders from [Iranian] weapons falling in the hands of Hezbollah and other proxy actors," Lord said.
