During their meeting in Jerusalem, US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Lapid signed a joint statement.
In a joint statement pledging to stop Tehran from getting nuclear weapons, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid reaffirmed their anti-Iran positions.
On the second day of Biden’s four-day trip to the Middle East, the two leaders met one-on-one in West Jerusalem on Thursday morning. That meeting was followed by a virtual summit with the leaders of India and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the declaration, the US will employ “all forces of national power” at its disposal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Washington’s commitment to continue providing Israel with military assistance is also included 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.
Following the signing, Biden and Lapid both expressed their support for the US-Israeli alliance and the perceived threat posed by Iran during a press conference.
The free world must make Iran aware that it will use force if it develops nuclear weapons, according to Lapid.
While stating that he thought negotiation was the best approach to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Biden restated what he called a “promise” to give Israel security.
‘Symbolic statement’
The proclamation is more of a reiteration of US and Israeli opposition to Iran’s nuclear ambitions and is therefore largely symbolic. Iran and the Western powers have been in a deadlock on the restoration of the 2015 nuclear agreement for months, each blaming the other for the impasse.
The Israeli prime minister told reporters that Biden and Lapid had “addressed the Iranian danger” after their meeting was over.
Iran won’t develop nuclear weapons, said Lapid.
Reporting from West Jerusalem for Al Jazeera, Stefanie Dekker remarked, “It’s nothing new. “It’s the reaffirmation of the two countries’ commitment, of the American commitment to Israel’s security, and that both Israel and the US will cooperate to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
Iranian officials maintain that their nuclear program is peaceful and that they have no plans to develop a nuclear weapon.
Although it has never made a public admission, it is widely thought that Israel has nuclear weapons.
‘Arrival in Israel’
On Wednesday, Biden began his first trip to the area since entering office in 2021 by arriving in Israel.
Israeli officials enthusiastically welcomed Biden upon landing on 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.”
In his opening remarks, Vice President Biden stated that one need not be Jewish to support Zionism. “The bond between the people of Israel and the United States is profound… It gives me great pride to report that US-Israeli relations are better than ever.
The US president did not specifically refer to Palestinians when he reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Biden was referred to be a “great Zionist” by Lapid in a speech.
Lapid referred to Biden as “one of the best friends Israel has ever had” and added that their friendship “has always been personal.”
On Friday, Biden will go to the Israeli-occupied West Bank to have a brief meeting with Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in Bethlehem before continuing on to Saudi Arabia.
The opportunity to reassert 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 summit of Gulf allies.
Biden stated that it will “take time” for relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel to be normalised in an interview with Israeli Channel 12 on Wednesday.
