President Joe Biden called Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to congratulate the incoming Israeli prime minister on his election win last week, after a delay of several days that fueled speculation of a strained relationship between the two.
The call, which came six days after the Israeli elections, followed several others by key allies in Europe and elsewhere.
“We are brothers, we will make history together. My commitment to Israel is unquestionable. Congratulations, friend,” Biden said according to a readout of the call issued by Netanyahu’s office.
Netanyahu, for his part, addressed the Trump-led Abraham Accords establishing ties between Israel and several Arab Muslim states.
“We will bring more historic peace agreements, it is within reach. My commitment to our alliance and our relationship is stronger than ever,” he said.
Biden administration officials have expressed alarm at the inclusion of right-wing firebrand lawmakers in a Netanyahu-led coalition.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, who called Netanyahu on Thursday to congratulate him, said Biden did not call earlier because of his busy schedule around the midterm elections, Israeli media reported.
As Breitbart News’ Joel Pollak noted:
During last May’s hostilities between Israel and Hamas the new Biden administration tried pressuring Israel at first, until the Israeli government pushed back and it became clear that Hamas was fomenting riots in Jerusalem to win broader Arab and Muslim support for rocket launches at Israeli civilians.
Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history, having governed from 1996 to 1999, and again from 2009 to 2021.
The official results from last week’s election will be presented to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, after which the Israeli president will have a week to meet with all the party leaders before tasking Netanyahu with forming the next government.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.