President Yitzhak Herzog met this evening (Wednesday) at the White House with US President Joe Biden. Herzog presented Biden with Israel’s intelligence information about the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine.
Biden referred to the signing of the controversial agreement with Lebanon. “Tomorrow Israel and Lebanon will sign the permanent agreement that defines the maritime border between them. This is a historic breakthrough that requires great courage to reach. This agreement will allow both countries to operate gas fields, thus giving them new hope and economic opportunities,” he said.
“We are going to discuss the steadfast commitment, which I have stated 5,000 times in my career; the commitment of the United States to Israel, based on our principles, ideals and values. These are the same values. I have often said, if Israel did not exist we would have to invent it. I remember when I was a teenager, my dad talked about how we should have done a lot more. Why didn’t we bomb the railroad tracks in World War II? This is a deep and shared concern. And so we have common values and interests, and I hope we will have time to discuss them today, and I think our interests overlap around the world and in the region. Thank you for being here,” Biden added.
Herzog defined Biden as “a true friend of Israel,” and said that “the United States is a historic ally and I am very proud to come as the head of the State of Israel to express the friendship and the uncompromising bond between our countries.”
Herzog attacked the Iranian regime: “The Iranian regime crushes tens of thousands of Iranian citizens, men, young people, women who are protesting and generally asking for rights. This is an example of the way Iran operates. The elimination of its own citizens, progress in the nuclear weapons project and the provision of lethal weapons that kill innocent citizens in Ukraine.” .
The Israeli president referred to the elections in Israel and the US: “You know there are elections in Israel next week, and you also have mid-term elections. It’s clear, but this visit emphasizes it – the friendship and the strong relationship is above any dispute and any party. And I hope we can continue to act for the benefit of the State of Israel, the United States and the entire world.”
Herzog concluded the meeting by saying: “My visit came to express the fact that the relations between Israel and the USA are strong and significant. We discussed a variety of topics including the Iranian threat, what is happening between the Iranian action against the citizens in Israel and the entire region. Its move to a nuclear option and its action against civilians in Ukraine. We talked about improving cooperation in the region and the dialogue with the Palestinians. We discussed the climate and joint actions. We also talked about the fight against anti-Semitism.”