U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday night to congratulate him on assuming his new role.
Blinken reaffirmed to Lapid the United States’ “unwavering commitment to the U.S.-Israel partnership, Israel’s security, and to countering shared threats, including those from Iran,” according to a State Department release.
He also emphasized American support for a negotiated two-state solution as part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Blinken noted that U.S. President Joe Biden “looks forward to celebrating our partnership with Israel during his upcoming visit to the Middle East.”
Biden is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday, July 13, where he will meet with top Israeli officials before heading to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.
From there, he will travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he will attend a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.
