AIPAC congratulates Lapid, Bennett for reaching agreement
Blinken says administration will work with any government that emerges
By OMRI NAHMIASAn AIPAC attendee sports a US-Israel themed suit(photo credit: TOM BRENNER/REUTERS)
WASHINGTON – The American Israel Public Affairs Committee congratulated Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett on Thursday “for assembling a broad and diverse coalition — spanning the political spectrum of Zionist and Arab parties — to form an Israeli government pending Knesset approval. The formation of this government just two weeks after Iranian-backed terrorists fired more than 4,300 rockets at innocent Israeli civilians further demonstrates the resilience of Israel’s democracy and its commitment to democratic values.“We look forward to further bolstering the bond between the US and Israel as the two democracies work in close partnership to advance our shared interests and values.”US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN Español anchor Juan Carlos Lopez in Costa Rica that “the Israelis will make their own decisions about their government, like any democracy, and we will work with any Israeli government to move forward as we have done in the past.“President Biden has worked with every Israeli government on all sides since prime minister Golda Meir in the early 1970s. So, in democracies, governments change. We will work with any government that emerges, whether it’s Prime Minister Netanyahu or someone else.”Blinken met with Defense Minister Benny Gantz at the State Department on Thursday, but avoided addressing the political situation in Israel.“We had an opportunity to spend some time together in Israel just a week or so ago,” Blinken said. “Very happy today to have the opportunity to pursue that conversation, to talk about the United States’ enduring commitment to Israel security, to talk about some of the needs that Israel has in that regard. Also, to talk about the work that needs to be done to move forward on humanitarian assistance to and reconstruction for Gaza and for the Palestinians living there and to look across the board at the many issues that we have on our agenda.”“It’s a real pleasure to be here and re-convey Israel’s appreciation for the administration, for the president, for yourself, for the ongoing support, which is very important for us in our challenging area,” Gantz told Blinken. “I’m looking forward to discussing, as we have discussed before, the challenges that we have with Iran, with the Palestinians.“As far as Gaza concerned, we do look for stability and prosperity for everybody. And as defense minister, I think the combination between moving forward with construction and making sure that everything stays secure – it’s very important for me.”
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