Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to “50 years of support for the state of Israel” from Joe Biden as the pair met at the White House on Thursday.
The meeting came a day after the Israeli prime minister gave a fiery speech to Congress as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside.
The Israeli leader faces pressure both at home and abroad to bring an end to the Israel-Gaza war, now in its ninth month.
Mr Netanyahu said he had known Mr Biden for 40 years – and that the president had known every Israeli PM over the last half a century.
“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,” he said.
Mr Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden “on the great issues before us” over the next several months.
The US president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli PM he had met, and that Yitzhak Rabin, a successor, was there as an assistant.
The meeting between the two men follows months of tension over the war in Gaza, with Mr Biden in May reportedly telling Israel that “enough is enough”.
Mr Netanyahu in June said it was “inconceivable” that the Biden administration “has been withholding weapons and ammunition” to Israel.
At a news briefing, national security spokesman John Kirby said that Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the potential of conflict spilling over into Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach “compromises” in peace talks.
While Mr Kirby added that “gaps remain” in the US-Israel relationship, the countries have a “healthy relationship”.
“By healthy, I mean they’re not going to agree on everything,” Mr Kirby said. “He [Mr Biden] is very comfortable with the relationship he has with the Prime Minister.”
Mr Netanyahu also plans to meet Vice-President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee after Mr Biden announced he was stepping down from his re-election campaign.
Speaking in the House chamber on Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu defended Israel’s war in Gaza, while attempting to rally support from US politicians.
“Our enemies are your enemies,” he said, and condemned protesters as “Iran’s useful idiots”.
The White House pushed back on Mr Netanyahu’s characterisation of the protesters, with Mr Kirby saying that “it’s not a phrase we would use” and “not a reflection of what we think” of the “mostly peaceful” protests.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of Washington to accuse Mr Netanyahu of being a “war criminal”.
Their loudspeakers and chanting could be clearly heard from the White House as Mr Netanyahu arrived on Thursday.
Police arrested 23 people, including five inside the Capitol building.
Mr Netanyahu’s speech was occasionally met with rapturous applause, mostly led by Republicans.
The Gaza war has deepened political divides in Washington, and led to infighting among Democrats whose progressive wing has been critical of US support of Israel.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was spotted sitting in the audience holding a sign that read “guilty of genocide”.
Ms Harris did not attend Mr Netanyahu’s speech due to scheduling conflicts, the White House said.
Instead, she spent part of the day speaking to a crowd from the historically black sorority Zeta Phi Beta.
Ms Harris has expressed steadfast support for Israel. However, such a stance has been politically costly for the Democrats.
Hundreds of thousands of protest votes were cast against Mr Biden during the presidential primaries by those wanting him to stop sending military aid to Israel.
Some of those angered by his war stance see Ms Harris as a chance to mend the fracture in the party, and win back the votes.
Mr Netanyahu is expected to visit Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday.
Source Agencies
