Netanyahu Invites Biden To Fight Iran Together

JAKARTA - The Prime Minister (PM) of Israel and President of Israel Reuven Rivlin congratulated Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States (US). The two also explicitly invited the US to join forces against Iran.

In addition, Netanyahu also urged Biden to build a series of peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries, as did the US during the Trump administration. Netanyahu, in the video message, also highlighted how the leaders appear to be heading for confrontation.

He urged Biden to work with Israel against the "threat posed by Iran." Biden said he intended to return to the 2015 Iran Accord, which Netanyahu strongly opposed and successfully lobbied Trump to leave.

"President Biden, you and I have had a warm personal friendship over the decades," Netanyahu said in an English-language video statement issued moments after Biden took the oath of office.

"I look forward to working with you to further strengthen the US-Israel alliance, to continue to expand peace between Israel and the Arab world and to face common challenges, especially the threat posed by Iran."

Quoting the Times of Israel, Thursday, January 21, Rivlin said the US has no better friend than Israel. The relationship between the two countries goes beyond political parties and is based on shared values.

“Our territory is changing rapidly. Many positive changes. The recent peace agreement between Israel and our neighbors brings new hope to them and I look forward to working with you to help build further bridges in the region, including with our Palestinian neighbors, "said Rivlin.

Earlier, the Secretary of State for Joe Biden's administration, Anthony Blinken, revealed that it was confirmed that the US would maintain the US Embassy in Jerusalem, which Israel recognizes as the capital of its country. If seen, the US government still supports Israel.

However, on the other hand Blinken also warned that he would "look closely" at some of the Israeli agreements made with Arab countries that normalize relations with him. What is clearly involved, such as the sale of the F-35 to the United Arab Emirates. The purchase was officially signed on Wednesday January 20.

Biden's election is also a return to US support for a more traditional two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trump releases a peace plan based on the same concept, but envisions Israel annexing every West Bank settlement. Biden, on the other hand, has been a vocal critic of the settlement movement and Netanyahu's efforts to annex large parts of the West Bank.

The swift congratulations from Israel, especially from Netanyahu, are in contrast to the 2020 US elections, when Netanyahu was one of the last world leaders to recognize Biden's victory. Netanyahu has for the past four years been one of Trump's closest supporters. Israel benefited from the former president's many moves and was the only country where Trump enjoyed positive opinion polls.