Biden and Netanyahu have finally talked, but their visions still clash for ending Israel-Hamas war

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally have spoken by phone after a glaring, nearly four-week gap in direct communication. They talked on Friday. The leaders spoke frequently in the weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, but their direct communication has decreased amid fundamental differences over their visions for Gaza once the war ends. Neither side shows signs of budging, and both men are hemmed in by domestic political considerations. Netanyahu has repeatedly rebuffed Biden’s calls for Palestinian sovereignty. Netanyahu said this week that he has told U.S. officials in plain terms that he will not support a Palestinian state as part of any post-war plan.