President Obama was in a big hurry to return to the White House for a party Friday night.

Only trouble was, he started the day in Israel.

After attending the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres, Mr. Obama was seen impatiently imploring former President Bill Clinton to climb aboard Air Force One at the airport in Israel for the return flight to the U.S.

“Let’s go!” Mr. Obama shouted to Mr. Clinton on the tarmac. “I gotta get home!”

On the return flight, Air Force One even skipped a scheduled refueling stop in Bangor, Maine, and flew directly back to Washington, a nonstop flight of 11 hours, 25 minutes.

As the president returned to the White House shortly after 7 p.m. Friday, a spokesman issued a statement about Mr. Obama’s plans for the night:

“Tonight the president is hosting a private social gathering with friends, former colleagues and early supporters from Illinois in the White House.”

Even the acknowledgement of a party was a rare change for the Obamas, who drew criticism in June 2015 for keeping secret a White House party featuring entertainer Prince and hundreds of the Obamas closest friends.

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