- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett promised a “new spirit” in a meeting with Joe Biden.
- Bennet will meet with the President of the United States on Thursday.
- He will focus on Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday to urge pressure on Iran’s nuclear program and strengthen bipartisan support for Israel.
Bennett told reporters before his first state visit that Biden is an “old friend of the State of Israel.”
Read | Israel’s Bennett seeks US “reset” during his first White House visit
The 49-year-old leader took office in June as the head of the ideological secession coalition, in which his hawkish party holds only a few seats.
“The United States has a new government, Israel has a new government, and I have brought a new spirit of cooperation from Jerusalem,” Bennett said.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtz told AFP that after Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump’s close ally Benjamin Netanyahu has been in power for 12 consecutive years, Bennett’s visit will set a new tone. .
“Netanyahu believes that he knows what the United States should do better than the president with whom he is dealing,” Kurtz said.
Iran focus
In contrast, Bennett said, “Even if there are differences in policy, this still exists, and the two will be able to talk without such disrespect.”
Bennett said Iran will be the focus of his visit.
In an interview with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Bennett stated that he hopes to have “cooperation and goodwill” with Americans, mainly in “how we can resist and contain Iran’s dominance of the region and its nuclear weapons race.” aspect.
Israel strongly opposes Biden’s attempt to reverse Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement, which lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
Since Trump took action, Iran itself has withdrawn from key commitments, including uranium enrichment.
On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz told diplomats that he was also convinced that Iran directly attacked an oil tanker managed by a company owned by an Israeli businessman in late July, killing two crew members.
Bennett has stated that he will propose an “orderly plan” to Biden to restrain the Iranians, implying that Israel can take advantage of new relations with Arab countries, thanks to the Abraham agreement mediated by the United States.
US officials did not directly discuss the Iran agreement on Wednesday.
However, Brinken told Bennett that the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security was “unshakable” and spoke of “our deep concern about Iran and its nuclear program”.
Two-State Solution
The consultants stated that Bennett has no plans to discuss the restoration of the Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
“The two countries are not related and do not exist,” a senior official told reporters.
The Biden administration supports the two-state solution and has resumed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians, most of which were cut by Trump, who claimed to be the most “pro-Israel” president in history.
Brinken also promised to reopen a consulate in Jerusalem to manage relations with the Palestinians. Trump ended the visit in 2019 after moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to support Israel’s controversial claim to East Jerusalem.
During Bennett’s visit, friction between Israel and Gaza escalated, including violent border conflicts. This is the most serious deterioration since Israel’s air strikes on thousands of rockets fired by militants in the Gaza Strip in May.
An Israeli diplomat said that Bennett hopes to have a sympathetic hearing.
The official said: “The impression we got is that the Americans understand that Hamas is the one who provoked and heated the area.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the United States is still committed to safeguarding Israel’s security and self-defense rights, and that he will “actively respond” to Israel’s US$1 billion emergency assistance request, adding that “we will seek lasting protection for the Israelis. Security guarantee”. Same as the Palestinians. “
Sibley Telhami, a professor of peace and development at the University of Maryland, said Biden’s visit also provided Bennett with legitimacy.
“Biden is unlikely to take a public boycott of anything that Bennett will raise publicly and privately. This fact will give the impression that he is supported by Biden,” Tehami said.
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