Netanyahu on Biden snub: US-Israel alliance remains strong
Ashkenazi thanks Blinken for US support against ICC; Netanyahu, Putin duscuss cooperation in Syria.
By LAHAV HARKOVPRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets with then-US vice president Joe Biden in Jerusalem in 2016.(photo credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO)
The fact that US President Joe Biden has not called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yet is not indicative of a rupture in the US-Israel relationship, Netanyahu said on Monday.“I spoke with President Biden right after his victory,” Netanyahu said, when asked about the matter in a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.Biden is “calling according to the order that he sees fit…He hasn’t reached the Middle East yet,” the prime minister added.Netanyahu said he has “no doubt our alliance is strong. It doesn’t mean we agree on everything but the alliance is strong and so is our friendship of almost 40 years.”Biden has spoken to eight leaders of countries around the world since his January 20 inauguration, none of which are in the Middle East.Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke for the second time Monday. Ashkenazi thanked Blinken for his public support after the International Criminal Court ruled that it can investigate Israel for alleged war crimes a decision Ashkenazi called “outrageous.”“I emphasized to the Secretary of State that the court’s decision is mistaken at its core, and it endangers the rare opportunity to promote peace in our region,” Ashkenazi tweeted following the call.The foreign minister said they also discussed “joint efforts to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons and undermining regional stability.”Ashkenazi thanked Blinken and Biden for their “deep commitment to Israeli security and the strategic alliance between our countries.”Earlier Monday, Ashkenazi met with the American Charge d’Affaires in Jerusalem, Jonathan Shrier. Ashkenazi’s office said Shrier reiterated that the US will not lift sanctions on Iran until it stops enriching uranium beyond the limits of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Shrier said the US opposes the International Criminal Court ruling that would allow it to investigate Israel.The two also discussed the Abraham Accords and relations with the Palestinian Authority.
