Biden congratulates Israel’s Netanyahu after election win

Biden congratulates Israel’s Netanyahu after election win

Washington will watch closely as Benjamin Netanyahu forms a government.

Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Twitter he told US president Joe Biden they can ‘achieve more peace agreements.’ (AP pic)
JERUSALEM:
US president Joe Biden on Monday congratulated former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his election win and said Washington will watch closely as Netanyahu forms a government, which will likely include religious and far-right parties.

White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden “reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral partnership and underscored his unwavering support for Israeli security.”

“We will continue to closely monitor the government formation process,” Jean-Pierre said.

Netanyahu, after the call, wrote on Twitter he told Biden that they can “achieve more peace agreements and deal with the threat of Iranian aggression.”

Israel, during Netanyahu’s previous term, normalised ties with the UAE and Bahrain under US sponsorship.

Israel’s fifth election in less than four years confirmed a comeback for Netanyahu, now buoyed by smaller ultranationalist and religious parties.

His victorious bloc includes lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler, and former member of Kach, a Jewish militant group on Israeli and US terrorist watchlists.

While Washington has publicly reserved judgment pending the new Israeli coalition’s formation, a State Department spokesman on Wednesday emphasised the countries’ “shared values.”

Netanyahu still has to be officially tasked by the Israeli president with forming a government, a process that could take weeks.

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