Biden congratulated Isaac Herzog on his appointment as President of Israel and highlighted his commitment to security

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, congratulated Isaac Herzog on Wednesday after his election as the new president of Israel and he has highlighted his “commitment to security” in the country during his political career.

“On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend my warm congratulations to Isaac Herzog on his election to serve as the eleventh president of Israel,” Biden proclaimed in a White House statement.

For the American president, Herzog “has demonstrated” during his political career “an unwavering commitment to strengthening Israel’s security,” just as he has made progress “among the world Jewish community.”

“I am confident that under your presidency, the partnership between Israel and the United States will continue to grow and deepen,” he added.

Regarding the outgoing president, Reuven Rivlin, whose term will expire on June 9 after seven years, Biden also had a few words of gratitude “for his many years of service to the people of Israel” as well as announced that he hopes to welcome in the United States to this soon.

Israel’s parliamentarians have elected Isaac Herzog as the new president of Israel on Wednesday to succeed Reuven Rivlin who has not been able to stand for re-election.

 Herzog, a 60-year-old former leader of the Labor Party, has garnered 87 of the 120 votes of parliamentarians and thus has beaten his rival, activist Miriam Peretz.

After the vote, Herzog has opted to “build bridges” between Israeli society and Jews abroad, “fight anti-Semitism and hatred against Israel” and “safeguard the pillars of democracy” in the country.

In the last month, Biden conveyed his “unwavering support for Israel’s security and its legitimate right to defend its people,” in relation to Israel’s response to the latest escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip that has left more than 250 dead on the Palestinian side and 12 Israelis dead.

Biden’s intervention is marked by the policies of former President Donald Trump during his time in the White House, when he launched all kinds of gestures and messages in favor of Israel, including the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, against the criteria of the UN and the Palestinians themselves.

On the other hand, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, has managed shortly before the midnight cut-off time to form a government in Israel, thus ending the era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in office for the last twelve years.

Lapid has managed to reach an agreement with the leader of the right-wing Yamina, Naftali Bennett, who will be Prime Minister for the next two years, at which time he will be replaced by the leader of Yesh Atid, as part of the agreement reached. The agreement has also been concluded thanks to the signature of the president of the United Arab List, Mansur Abbas.

“I give you my word that this government will work in the service of all the citizens of Israel, those who voted for it and those who did not. He will respect his opponents and will do everything possible to unify and unite all parts of Israeli society,” Lapid has formally informed the outgoing president, Reuven Rivlin.