Obama will not meet Netanyahu during U.S. visit

U.S. President Barack Obama will not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin during his upcoming visit to the United States, Agence France Presse reported, citing a White House statement.

Earlier today, Netanyahu confirmed he will travel to Washington in March to address Congress so he can make one trip to the United States instead of two in the run-up to the March 17 Israeli election, a Republican aide said on Thursday.

Republican congressional leaders said on Wednesday they had invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress on Feb. 11, prompting questions from the White House about whether protocol had been violated.

"The Israelis initially agreed to a date in February, but decided they only wanted the prime minister to make one trip to the U.S. before the election, so they asked to change to the first week in March," the aide said.

Netanyahu also plans to address a conference of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC during his visit.