“I will never forget two moments that are etched in my memory and my heart: The moving remarks he made about my father after his passing in 2012 and our lengthy conversation when I called him after the death of his son Beau in 2015. There are things that are beyond politics and beyond diplomacy.”
By United with Israel Staff
Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strong friendship with US President Donald Trump, the Israeli leader maintains that he has an excellent relationship as well with President-elect Joe Biden and that the US-Israel relationship is secure no matter which party heads the American government.
“For 38 years I have invested unceasing efforts in strengthening relations with the US, with all of its political sectors, including presidents, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and public opinion, including many hundreds of television and radio interviews, in right-wing and left-wing media,” Netanyahu said in his remarks to the Knesset on Tuesday.
“I have a long-standing relationship with Joe Biden, whom I met for the first time as young senator when I served as an Israeli diplomat in Washington in 1982. Since then, we have met and spoken very many times.
“However, I will never forget two moments that are etched in my memory and my heart: The moving remarks he made about my father after his passing in 2012 and our lengthy conversation when I called him after the death of his son Beau in 2015. There are things that are beyond politics and beyond diplomacy,” Netanyahu said.
“Regarding recent years, here are the facts,” the prime minister continued. “Every time I go to Capitol Hill, I always, but always, meet with the leaders of both parties in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. And when Senators and Congressmen come to Israel, I love to meet each and every one of them, in peace, in war, any time, Democrats and Republicans – there is no difference, because I believe that strengthening the bipartisan support for Israel is a basic foundation of our foreign policy.”
Stressing his friendly ties to both Republicans and Democrats, Netanyahu said:
“In 2017-2020, during the Republican administration of President Trump, there were 292 visits to Israel by Congressmen and Senators – this is an incredible number. I met with all of them, without exception.
“Of these, I met 134 Democrats, that is almost half, including very senior people in the Democratic Party, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, I have met with her four times, and her deputy Steny Hoyer, with whom I have met four times, the head of the Democratic Party in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, whom I have also known for almost 40 years, and with Kamala Harris on her visit here in 2017…
“I ascribe great importance to explaining Israel’s policy to both sides of the house,” he concluded.