Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — one of President Trump’s closest personal allies overseas — joined the growing chorus on Sunday of international leaders congratulating Joseph R. Biden for his projected election victory.
“Joe, we’ve had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel. I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the U.S. and Israel,” the Israeli prime minister wrote.
Mr. Netanyahu, who also opened a video conference Israeli cabinet meeting Sunday by congratulating Mr. Biden and Mrs. Harris, separately tweeted his gratitude to President Trump.
“Thank you @realDonaldTrump 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,” Mr. Netanyahu wrote.
The mention of Jerusalem was a reference to the Trump administration’s recognition of the divided holy city as Israel’s capital by moving the American embassy there from Tel Aviv in 2018. The mention of Golan, was a reference to the administration’s 2019 proclamation recognizing the disputed Golan Heights region as being under Israeli — not Syrian — sovereignty.
There was no immediate reaction to Mr. Netanyahu’s comments from the White House, where President Trump has disputed reports of Mr. Biden’s projected victory, vowed to continue launching legal challenges and accused Democrats of “stealing” the election.
The Israeli prime minister’s messages coincided with similar congratulatory notes from dozens of other prominent world leaders, although some close allies and major adversaries of President Trump were continuing to remain silent as of Sunday morning Washington, D.C., time.
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
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