U.S. President, Joe Biden, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, have ended their 50-minute meeting at the White House. It was earlier scheduled to last for 25 minutes.
Speaking after their one-on-one meeting, President Biden told Prime Minister Bennett that he prefers the diplomatic route to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but that the US is “willing to consider other options” to ensure Iran never gets the bomb.
With the press present, Biden begins with remarks regarding Afghanistan: “Our hearts go out to all those we’ve lost… The mission… has come with a significant loss of American personnel,” he says. “We will complete the mission.”
Turning to Bennett, Biden says: “It’s great to have the prime minister here. We’ve become close friends. He heads and leads the most diverse government in Israeli history.
“We’ve got a big agenda today — starting with the COVID… [discussing] both our successful vaccination programs… We’re considering advice you’ve given that we should start earlier [with booster shots].”
Moving to regional matters, Biden says, “We’re also going to discuss.. the unwavering commitment that we have in the United States to Israel’s security.”
Adds Bideb: “I fully, fully, fully support replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome system.”
On Iran, Biden says: “We’re also going to discuss the threat from Iran and our commitment to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. But we’re putting diplomacy first and we’ll see where that takes us. But if diplomacy fails, we’re ready to turn to other options.”
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett opens his remarks in the Oval Office by offering his condolences to the US over yesterday’s attack in Kabul.
He says the US soldiers killed were there to save lives and that this is the ultimate form of heroism.
Bennett goes on to thank Biden for his support of Israel, noting that “that’s not new. You’ve always stood up for us, especially in tough times.”
He highlights the US support for Israel during the May Gaza war.
“We trust in your support, Mr. President and Israel knows that we have no better or reliable ally in the world than the United States of America.”
Bennett tells Biden that he has arrived in Washington “from our eternal capital Jerusalem” with a “new spirit of goodwill” to work with the new American administration.
He, like Biden, notes the diverse nature of the new Israeli government, adding that while the members may have ideologically opposing views, “we all share a deep passion to build a better future for israel.”
Bennett then moves on to discuss the region, saying “we cannot lose site for even one moment that we’re in the toughest neighborhood in the world.”
Speaking of many of the terror groups on Israel’s borders, Bennett says, “they want to kill us, they want to annihilate the Jewish state.”
“That’s why israel must always be overwhelmingly stronger than all our enemies… combined,” he says, before thanking Biden for “fortifying Israel’s strategic advantage in the region.”