Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday evening at the official President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
Referring to Herzog by his nickname, Biden wrote in the President’s Residence guestbook: “Bougie, my friend, thank you for all you and your family have done to deepen the ironclad bond between our two great countries.”
“From our shared Irish roots to our shared love of Israel, we are united in heart and spirit. May our friendship endure and continue to grow! That is the Irish of it, as my grandfather Finnegan would say. God bless you. Joe. 7.14.22,” wrote the U.S. president.
Biden received Israel’s Presidential Medal of Honor during a ceremony, and along with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, later attended the opening events of the Maccabiah Games at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.
He also met with current Israeli opposition leader and former longstanding premier Benjamin Netanyahu.