Also the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin Tweeted On Tuesday, he spoke with Biden and called him an “old friend” of Israel, who knows that “our friendship is based on values other than conscious politics.”
Following in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Irish Taosich Michel Martin and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Netanyahu is the latest world leader to speak with Biden in the two weeks following election day. The Chinese government and Pope Francis have also congratulated the president-elect.
But news of Netanyahu’s talks with Biden is likely to be a blow, especially for Trump, as the current president and prime minister have developed geographical ties and political partnerships in recent years.
The Trump administration has largely favored Israel over Middle East policy and focused on protecting it from regional threats such as Iran. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has used a video of his diplomacy with Trump to promote his Likud party in Israel’s assembly elections.
But election-related tensions in their relationship became clear last month, when Netanyahu denied the opportunity to publicly criticize Biden during a phone call with Trump at the Oval Office, despite the president’s encouragement to do so.
