Obama Invites Netanyahu To Washington: Israeli Newspaper

U.S. President Barack Obama has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington in July, an Israeli newspaper reported Tuesday, citing anonymous sources. The two leaders will meet mid-July after the deadline on the Iran nuclear deal talks, the report added.

Yedioth Ahronoth quoted unnamed state department sources as saying that the meeting would be held either on July 15 or July 16. However, there was no official comment on the report from Netanyahu's office while Reuters, citing state officials, reported that Netyanhu had not received an invitation from the White House for the July visit.

If confirmed, the visit would be an opportunity for the Israeli leader to mend a troubled relationship with Obama, which worsened after he addressed the U.S. Congress before Israel's general elections in March, and criticized the Iran nuclear deal that the Obama administration, along with five world powers, has been working to finalize. Netanyahu has come out strongly against the nuclear deal with Iran, voicing skepticism about Iran's stance that its nuclear ambitions are of a peaceful nature.

Obama, in a recent interview to an Israeli news network, sharply criticized Netanyahu’s stance on the Palestinian state. "The danger here is that Israel as a whole loses credibility," Obama told Channel 2, referring to Netyanhu’s pre-election stance against a two-state solution.