After hours of silence, both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin issued statements early Sunday morning congratulating Joe Biden on a presumed victory in the 2020 presidential elections.
“Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Joe, we’ve had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel,” Netanyahu wrote on his personal Twitter account at 7 a.m. in Israel, which was midnight EST.
“I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel.”
Minutes later, Netanyahu posted a second tweet thanking President Donald Trump “for the friendship you have shown the state of Israel and me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights.”
His office has yet to issue a formal statement. Netanyahu came under fire for waiting longer than other world leaders and Israeli lawmakers in responding to Biden’s win.
Rivlin issued a statement at the same time as Netanyahu’s tweet.
“I send the blessings of the Israeli people and of the State of Israel, to our friend Joe Biden on your election as the 46th President of the United States of America. I also send congratulations and best wishes for your success, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” he said.
“Mr President-elect, as a long-standing friend of Israel, you are now the leader of the free world and of the State of Israel’s closest and most important ally. The strategic alliance between our two countries and peoples is stronger than any political leadership, and is not based solely on friendship. It is rooted deeply in our shared values and in our long-standing commitment to freedom and democracy as the foundations of our societies.”
Rivlin thanked Trump for “four years of partnership in strengthening Israel’s security, and to thank the American people for their steadfast support and friendship.”
“I have no doubt that our special relations and multifaceted cooperation will continue to flourish and grow in the future,” he went on.
“On behalf of the Israeli people, I wish you and your future administration great success, and extend my invitation to you to visit Jerusalem as our guest.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who was the first Israeli politician to congratulate Biden on Saturday evening, slammed Netanyahu for waiting more than 12 hours to respond to news of the Biden victory.
Lapid said silence from Netanyahu showed “cowardice and was shameful” and “hurts Israeli interests.”
“If the French president, German chancellor and British prime minister can do it, so can you,” Lapid said.
Leader of the leftwing Meretz party Nitzan Horowitz called Netanyahu’s hiatus “disgraceful.”
Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz congratulated Biden and Harris on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“As the election results become final, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to @JoeBiden, a long-time supporter and friend of Israel, and to his running mate, @KamalaHarris, who has made history as the first woman elected VP.” Gantz tweeted in English at around 4 a.m. Israel time, just as Biden was delivering his victory speech.
“I look forward to continuing to deepen the steadfast bond and strong defense ties between our peoples, as allies in the effort to strengthen democracy, stability, and peace worldwide,” added Gantz, who is alternate prime minister and slated to replace Netanyahu in November 2021, 11 months after Biden is set to take office.
Gantz added that the country was “immensely grateful” to Trump for being “committed to [Israel’s] security and invested in its future.”
“The Middle East has taken major steps forward thanks to the president’s bold leadership over these four years, and for that we are immensely grateful,” he wrote.
The Hebrew-language Walla news site on Saturday evening cited unnamed sources close to Netanyahu as saying that he was “waiting for the official results” before issuing a statement.
The report also said that Netanyahu’s office had dictated media responses to ministers of his Likud party, namely, to say that Israel can work well with Biden just as it worked with Trump and to express hope that the apparent president-elect will continue in the same path as his predecessor and work on more normalization deals between Israel and the Arab world, as well as standing up to Iran, and that he won’t overturn Trump’s pro-Israel policies, such as recognizing Israeli sovereignty.
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