US President Joe Biden on Monday congratulated former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his election victory and said Washington would watch closely as Netanyahu forms a government that is likely to include religious and political parties. far right.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden “reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral partnership and underscored his unwavering support for Israeli security.”
“We will continue to closely monitor the government formation process,” Karine said.
Netanyahu, after the phone call with the US president, wrote on Twitter that he told Biden they can “achieve more peace agreements and deal with the threat of Iranian aggression”.
Israel, during Netanyahu’s previous term, normalized ties with the UAE and Bahrain with US support.
Israel’s fifth election in less than four years confirmed the return of Netanyahu, now supported by ultranationalist and smaller religious parties.
Its victorious bloc includes lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler and former member of Kach, a Jewish militant group that features on Israeli and US terrorist lists.
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