The White House has reportedly rejected a request by Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to meet President Barack Obama when he travels to the US later this month for the UN General Assembly.

An Israeli official told the Reuters news agency, on condition of anonymity, that Netanyahu's aides had asked for a meeting in Washington, but "the White House has got back to us and said it appears a meeting is not possible ... that the president's schedule will not permit that."