President Barack Obama speaking at the Righteous Among the Nations award ceremony at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., Jan. 27, 2016; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting ahead of bilateral talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 22, 2015 (Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Miriam May/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not visit Washington to meet with President Barack Obama or address the annual AIPAC conference.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee had invited Netanyahu to address its conference, taking place this year in Washington from March 20-22. Such visits routinely include a summit between the Israeli prime minister and the American president.

The White House, responding Monday to anonymously sourced reports in Israeli media that Netanyahu was declining to visit, revealed for the first time on Monday that it had offered Netanyahu a meeting on March 18, at Israel’s request. Obama is going to be in Cuba during the AIPAC conference, so the meeting could not be coincident with the AIPAC conference, as has been the custom in the past.

“The Israeli Government requested a meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu on March 17 or 18,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in an email.

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“Two weeks ago, the White House offered the Prime Minister a meeting on March 18th,” Price said. “We were looking forward to hosting the bilateral meeting, and we were surprised to first learn via media reports that the Prime Minister, rather than accept our invitation, opted to cancel his visit,” he said.

Price also referred to Israeli media reports that the White House refused to accommodate Netanyahu’s requests. “Reports that we were not able to accommodate the Prime Minister’s schedule are false,” he said.

Issuing a statement in response to anonymously sourced reports is unusual for the White House. The Obama administration, sensitive to years of complaints that it treats Netanyahu unfairly, appeared eager to demonstrate that it was ready to put out the red carpet for Netanyahu.

Requests to the Israeli embassy for comment were declined and to the prime minister’s office were not returned.

Reports in Israeli media and on CNN said Netanyahu was wary of being caught up in an especially bitter U.S. election year contest, one in which support for Israel has been a particularly contentious issue. AIPAC is expected to invite some or all of the candidates at its conference, and several might have requested a meeting with Netanyahu.

Vice President Joe Biden arrives this week in Israel for an official visit which includes a meeting with Netanyahu.

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