Biden and Netanyahu Meet With a Show of Amiable Relations Amid Their Tension

President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel put on pleasant faces and offered polite words on camera on Thursday as they opened a meeting at the White House at a fraught moment in their relationship with the future of the Middle East on the line.

The president smiled broadly and chatted amiably with Mr. Netanhayu in their first session together in the White House since Mr. Biden took office while the prime minister offered effusive words of praise for his service. But the brief bonhomie masked the deep tensions between them over the war in Gaza and American efforts to broker a cease-fire.

“Well, welcome back, Mr. Prime Minister,” Mr. Biden said as the two sat down in the Oval Office. “We’ve got a lot to talk about. I think we should get to it.”

But the president offered no thoughts about the situation on the ground while reporters were in the room and instead turned the floor over to Mr. Netanyahu, who used the opportunity to express gratitude now that Mr. Biden has dropped his bid for a second term and is winding up his long political career.

“Mr. President, we’ve known each other for 40 years and you’ve known every Israeli prime minister for 50 years, from Golda Meir,” Mr. Netanyahu told him. “So from a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel. And I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead on the great issues before us.”

Mr. Biden grinned at the reference to him as an “Irish American Zionist” and then said he looked forward to their discussions as well. “By the way, that first meeting with Prime Minister Golda Meir, and she had an assistant sitting