President Rivlin to Attend WH Hanukkah Reception After Meeting with Obama

Israeli President Reuven “Ruvi” Rivlin will meet with President Barack Obama at the White House on December 9th for the first meeting between the two, just a month after a cordial meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House announced on Tuesday.

“The President looks forward to discussing with President Rivlin a range of issues of common focus, including the unprecedented bilateral security cooperation between the U.S. and Israel, regional developments, combating extremism in all of its forms, and the need for genuine advancement of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and a two-state solution,” Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.

President Rivlin will also be an honored guest at the White House’s annual Hannukah reception, following the meeting between the two presidents, the White House said.

During the height of the debate over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress and the Iran nuclear deal, Rivlin declined an invitation to meet Obama as he visited New York in January. At the time, the White House said the meeting was not possible due to the two officials’ conflicting schedules. “At this stage, it has been agreed not to hold a meeting during his visit, due to the schedule constraints of both leaders, and that a meeting would be scheduled at a later date,” a spokesman for Rivlin’s office stated in a joint statement.