Biden congratulates Israel’s Netanyahu on election win
Benjamin Netanyahu’s political comeback ushers in a complicated new chapter in US-Israel relations.
President Joe Biden called to congratulate incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, as the veteran politician begins talks to form a new right-wing coalition government expected to be at odds with the Biden administration on a range of issues.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu to "congratulate him on his party’s victory and commend Israel’s free and fair elections," according to a White House statement.
"The President reaffirmed the strength of the US-Israel bilateral partnership, based on a bedrock of shared democratic values and mutual interests, and underscored his unwavering support for Israel’s security," the statement said.
Netanyahu is set to reclaim power after his conservative Likud Party and its political allies won a comfortable 64-seat Knesset majority in the Nov. 1 elections, the country’s fifth in four years.
