U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday, signed a pledge to deny Iran nuclear weapons, closing ranks after long-running disputes between the allies over global diplomacy with Tehran.
Biden, who is visiting Jerusalem, said in an interview broadcast on local TV on Wednesday, that he was open to "last resort" use of force against Iran - an apparent move toward accommodating Lapid's calls on world powers to present a "credible military threat" against Israel's arch-foe.
In their declaration, signed by the two leaders, the United States confirms its commitment never to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, "and is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome."
"The United States further affirms the commitment to work together with other partners to confront Iran’s aggression and destabilizing activities, whether advanced directly or through proxies and terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad,"
Israel and the United States say they are committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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A makeshift memorial stands outside the Tree of Life synagogue in the aftermath of a deadly shooting in Pittsburgh in 2018
(Photo: AP)
The declaration addresses the rise in global antisemitism with an American commitment to combat "all efforts to boycott or de-legitimize Israel."
On the Palestinian subject, the declaration states President Biden "reaffirms his longstanding and consistent support of a two-state solution and for advancing toward a reality in which Israelis and Palestinians alike can enjoy equal measures of security, freedom and prosperity."