Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu turned down an offered meeting with president Barack Obama, prompting a sharp response from the White House, in the latest evidence of the tense relations between the two leaders. 


The abrupt decision by Netanyahu to cancel a visit to Washington later this month surprised US officials, who said they learned of the cancellation via the media. 


The White House additionally disputed reports in the Israeli media that said Netanyahu cancelled the trip after the White House had been unable to find a date for a meeting that worked with Obama’s schedule, saying those suggestions were "false". 


The latest friction between Netanyahu and Obama -- who have had a tense relationship, not least over the issue of Iran -- came ahead of a visit by vice-president Joe Biden to Israel, when the issue of US military aid to the country is expected to be on the agenda. 


Netanyahu had been expected to visit the US later in March on a trip coinciding with a major pro-Israeli group’s annual summit. 


The White House said Israel had proposed two dates for a meeting between the leaders and the US had offered to meet on one of those days. 


"We were looking forward to hosting the bilateral meeting," said Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council. 


"We were surprised to first learn via media reports that the prime minister, rather than accept our invitation, opted to cancel his visit." 


The unusually pointed pushback from the White House was the latest signal of ongoing tensions between the US and its closest Mideast ally, which have never fully recovered since Obama incensed Netanyahu’s government by pursuing and then enacting a nuclear deal with Iran.

Source: NNA