Even as the United States and Israel patch up their latest rift—with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited to meet President Obama on Tuesday—considerable confusion remains about what caused it. Various reasons have been given for why the president was so incensed by the embarrassing announcement of new settlement construction during Vice President Joe Biden's trip two weeks ago. Obama was said to be particularly upset because he thought he had Netanyahu's understanding, following a similar imbroglio last fall, that Washington wouldn't be taken by surprise by such an announcement again. Other reports suggested that Biden had warned Netanyahu that U.S. troops in the region were being endangered.
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