JERUSALEM (Washington Insider Magazine) – In a joint statement committing to stop Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and US President Joe Biden reaffirmed their anti-Iran stances.
On the second day of President Biden’s 4-day trip to the Middle East, the two leaders held talks in West Jerusalem on Thursday morning. They then participated in a televised conference with the leaders of India and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the declaration, the US will employ “all elements of national power” at its disposal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
According to Al Jazeera, Washington also promises to keep providing military assistance to Israel in the joint statement.
When Biden served as vice president under previous US President Barack Obama, a record 10-year $38 billion aid agreement was reached.
Both Lapid and Biden discussed their backing for the US-Israeli connection and the perceived danger from Iran during a press conference that followed the signing.
Though mostly symbolic, the statement just reiterates US and Israeli resistance to Iran’s nuclear aspirations. While Washington and Tehran blame one other for the impasse, negotiations to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement have stalled for months.
The Israeli PM told reporters that he and Biden had discussed the Iranian threat.
Iranian officials maintain that their nuclear programme is peaceful and that they have no plans to develop a nuclear weapon.
Although Israel has never acknowledged it officially, it is commonly thought that it has its own nuclear weapons.
On Wednesday, Biden began his first trip to the area since entering office in 2021 by arriving in Israel.
Biden was enthusiastically welcomed by Israeli authorities upon arriving aboard Air Force One at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. In a speech, Biden referred to the US’s relationship with Israel as “bone-deep.”
The US president did not specifically refer to Palestinians when he reaffirmed his backing for a 2-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Biden was referred to be a “great Zionist” by Lapid in a speech.
Before departing for Saudi Arabia later that day, Biden will go to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday to have a brief meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, in Bethlehem.
The chance to restore US dominance in the Middle East, according to Biden, was presented by the visit to the kingdom.
Biden will make a historic direct flight from Israel to Jeddah as part of the trip in order to meet with Saudi authorities and attend a conference of Gulf allies.
Biden stated that it will “take time” for relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia to be normalized in an interview with Israeli Channel 12 on Wednesday.
While certain accords, like as permitting Israeli flights to fly over Saudi airspace, might materialise, Riyadh has continued to emphasise that it would not recognise Israel until a Palestinian state is founded. Washington has been pressing for the two nations to fully normalize relations.
Lapid expressed his optimism that Biden would be able to clinch the arrangement during his visit to Jeddah in answer to a query about a prospective agreement to permit Israeli flights across Saudi airspace. Lapid made the statement to reporters during Thursday’s media conference.
