Shortly before the start of his first meeting with US President Joe Biden Aug. 26, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted a photo captioned “final preparations,” showing him sitting at the head of a table surrounded by advisers. The photo was shot at Washington’s Willard Hotel, where Bennett and his entourage were getting ready to set out for the White House nearby.

In Israel it was prime time, with all the major networks ready in their studios, hosting top diplomatic and security analysts, waiting for their correspondents on the ground to report on the start of the meeting. The Biden-Bennett summit, as it was being dubbed, was getting high-profile coverage, highlighting the fact that for the first time in 12 years, the name of the president’s Oval Office guest would not be Benjamin Netanyahu.

Bennett came intent on demonstrating a spirit of change, stressing the difference between himself and his predecessor as part of a calculated strategy that dictated every detail of the state visit. He flew to Washington without his wife and children, unlike Netanyahu’s ostentatious foreign trips with his wife Sara always at his side and sometimes one or both of his sons.

Upon boarding the plane in Israel, Bennett declared, “I am heading to Washington to meet with President Joe Biden, an old friend, a true friend of the State of Israel.” He then laid out his plans to meet with top Biden administration officials on Aug. 25, including the secretaries of state and defense. “There’s a new administration in Washington, a new government in Israel, and I bring from Jerusalem a new spirit of cooperation,” Bennett added.