Today’s dramatic meeting between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was wrought with “grief” as the world leaders embraced, a body language expert has said.
Biden met with the Israeli Prime Minister today following 11 days of violent bombing and fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Netanyahu greeted Biden immediately after Air Force One arrived at Ben Gurion Airport outside of Tel Aviv earlier this morning.
His visit came after a strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip which is believed to have killed hundreds of Palestinians. Both Israel and Hamas have denied responsibility.
Body language expert Judi James told Express.co.uk that their meeting was “dramatic and emotional”, forgoing some of the elements of a usual meeting between politicians.
She said: “Their greeting ritual looks dramatic and emotional.
“It’s a close, clinging hug that makes it look as though Biden is consoling Netanyahu, using close-quarters eye contact, with his chin pulled back.”
In the images released today, Biden and Netanyahu can be seen hugging and talking as soon as Biden exited the plane.
James said the informal greeting was “intimate” in comparison to the usual posted, photo-call images we see of world leaders.
“The two men stand completely face-to-face to make the greeting look intimate rather than the normal camera-facing poses from world leaders when they meet.”
“Their torsos are pressed against each other and Netanhayu’s hands are on Biden’s shoulders while Biden makes a reciprocal gesture by placing his hands on Netanyahu’s waist.
“At one point Netanyahu seems to press his face into Biden’s shoulder in the kind of pose you might normally associate with a sharing of grief.”
Biden has held firm in his support of Israel and blamed the hospital attack on Hamas during a meeting with Netanyahu today.
“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden told Netanyahu.
