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Israel: Biden has ‘no intention’ of launching new initiative on Palestinian file

June 18, 2021 at 10:52 am

US President Joe Biden seen in Washington D.C. US, on May 25, 2021 [Tasos Katopodis/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

The Hebrew-language Walla news website in Israel has quoted a US official as saying that the Biden administration intends to progress slowly with the new government led by Naftali Bennett. There is “no intention” of launching a new initiative on the Palestinian issue any time soon, it claimed.

New Israeli Prime Minister Bennett had his first phone discussion with US President Joe Biden on Sunday evening. The White House said that Biden congratulated him after he was sworn in. They apparently agreed to coordinate closely on security issues, especially regarding Iran.

Biden also stressed his decades of unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, while expressing his determination to deepen bilateral cooperation on the multiple challenges and opportunities in the region. The president told Bennett that his administration “intends to work closely with the Israeli government on efforts to advance peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.”

In response, Bennett described the US president as a “great friend of the State of Israel.” The prime minister also pledged “to consolidate relations between the two countries and ways of cooperation in order to ensure Israel’s security.”

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