Israeli leader to meet with Biden as tensions grow in Middle East

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Aug 25, 2021: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is set to meet with President Joe Biden as tensions escalated between Israel and regional enemy, Iran, and Israel renewed its bombardment of the Gaza Strip amid Palestinian protests.

On his first state visit since taking office, Bennett was scheduled to meet with senior administration officials on Wednesday, including Secretary of State Anthony Blanken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and with Biden on Thursday.

In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office before his departure, Bennett said that the first priority in his talks with Biden would be Iran, “especially the leap in the Iranian nuclear program over the past two to three years.”

He said other issues would also be discussed, including the quality of the Israeli army, the corona virus pandemic and economic issues. Bennett has spoken out against the possibility of a new nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, saying any deal should put a brake on Iran’s regional aggression.

Recent months have seen a series of attacks on Israeli-linked ships, believed to be carried out by Iran.

Earlier this week, Bennett told his cabinet that he would tell the US president that “now is the time to stop the Iranians, stop this thing” and again “the nuclear deal that has already expired and is no longer relevant.” 

The conflict between Israel and Hamas’s rulers in Gaza has been going on for three months since the 11-day Israeli offensive killed 265 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, which governs the enclave, broke down last week to reach arrangements for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas fired flaming balloons at Israel and staged demonstrations on the border.

Palestinians say the balloons are intended to put pressure on Israel to ease sanctions on Gaza and allow aid to reach the region.

Israeli troops shot dead 41 Palestinians and wounded two others as they stormed a rally in Gaza on Saturday.

“There is a new government in the United States and a new government in Israel, and I bring with me a new spirit of cooperation from Jerusalem, and that depends on the special and long-standing relationship between the two countries,” Bennett said before takeoff to the US.

Bennett took office two months ago when he joined a ruling coalition of eight different political parties, ranging from Jewish extremist nationalists to a small Islamist faction.

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