US President Biden looking forward to work with Netanyahu govt, calls him "friend for decades"
Dec 30, 2022
Washington [US], December 30 : US President Joe Biden called Benjamin Netanyahu a "friend for decades" and said he is looking forward to working with the new Israeli government to tackle the challenges in the middle east, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday.
Biden made the remarks in a Thursday statement and stated that the US will also address the challenges like the threats from Iran.
"From the start of my administration, we have worked with partners to promote this more hopeful vision of a region at peace, including between Israelis and Palestinians," the US president said.
"We aim to continue this important work with Israel's new government under Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership," he added.
Moreover, Biden reiterated Washington's rhetorical support for the two-state solution on Thursday, despite the fact that Netanyahu's administration has previously stated that building more settlements in the occupied West Bank was its top goal, Al Jazeera reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Israel on Thursday and said he looks forward to working to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Netanyahu, 73 was sworn in as Israel's PM hoping to deliver political stability after five general elections since 2019, The Times of Israel reported.
He took the oath after Israel's parliament, or Knesset passed a vote of confidence in his new government. Out of the 120 members, 63 voted in favour of the new government.
"Heartiest congratulations Netanyahu for forming the government. Looking forward to working together to strengthen our strategic partnership," PM Modi tweeted.
Back in November, the Prime Minister congratulated Netanyahu on his victory in the Israeli general elections.
"Mazel Tov my friend @netanyahu for your electoral success. I look forward to continuing our joint efforts to deepen the India-Israel strategic partnership," PM Modi had said in an earlier tweet.
The Israeli newspaper said Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister. The report added this will be his sixth government, and by allying far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties to his right-wing Likud, it will be his and the "country's most hardline to date."
The year witnessed Benjamin Netanyahu's stunning political comeback whose election victory was backed by an alliance with right-wing parties.
Israel held the fifth parliamentary election in fewer than four years on November 1. Netanyahu and his right-wing bloc won 64 of the 120 seats in the parliament to defeat the centre-left bloc which ousted Netanyahu in June last year.
Netanyahu said earlier this month that he had successfully formed a new coalition government after intensive negotiations with his right-wing and religious partners.
