Israeli president says US-Israel relationship should transcend politics amid some tensions over far-right parties.
US President Joe Biden lauded the Israel-Lebanon maritime border agreement as a “historic breakthrough” during a meeting with President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Wednesday.
“Tomorrow, Israel and Lebanon are going to sign an agreement to establish a permanent — permanent — maritime boundary,” Biden said.
“I think it’s a historic breakthrough- — it took a lot of courage for you [Israel] to step up and step into it, and it took some real guts, and I think it took principle and persistent diplomacy to get it done,” he said.
“I compliment you and I compliment the government,” Biden said, adding that the deal should have significant benefits for both Israel and Lebanon.
Herzog thanked Biden for the US helping to broker the agreement with Lebanon and said the two would further discuss the “inclusion and integration of Israel in the Middle East.”
He focused his comments on Iran, saying he and Biden would discuss the “Iranian challenge.” Herzog is presenting visual evidence of Iranian drones on the battlefield in Ukraine during his two-day visit to Washington.
“The Iranian regime is crushing thousands of Iranian citizens, men, young men, women, who are demonstrating and simply pleading to have their own liberties,” Herzog said. “This is an example of the way Iran is working, crushing its own citizens, moving toward nuclear weapons, and supplying lethal weapons that are killing innocent citizens in Ukraine.”
Also during his meeting with the US president, Herzog reiterated that the Israel-US relationship should remain above politics, ahead of upcoming elections in both countries and some friction over far-right lawmakers in Israel.
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