Biden affirms strong defense ties in first call to Netanyahu

A month after taking office, President Joe Biden called PM Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night, his first call to a Mid-East leader and 12th on the global scale. The White House said that Biden had “affirmed his personal history of steadfast commitment to Israel’s security and conveyed his intent to strengthen all aspects of the US-Israel partnership, including our strong defense cooperation.” The communique said that Biden “underscored the importance of working to advance peace throughout the region, including between Israelis and Palestinians.”

The PMO confirmed that the two leaders had discussed further strengthening of US-Israel ties, in addition to building on the normalization agreements brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and its Arab nations. They also spoke about “the Iranian threat and challenges of the region, agreeing to continue talks between them,” said the PMO.