US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call on Wednesday – his first with a Middle East leader since taking office.
The Israeli prime minister’s office tweeted that the two leaders discussed a range of issues in the hour-long call, including the Abraham Accord, Iran and the coronavirus pandemic.
“The two leaders noted their long-standing personal connection and said that they would work together to continue strengthening the steadfast alliance between Israel and the US,” Mr Netanyahu's office said.
It said they “discussed the future advancement of the peace accords, the Iranian threat and regional challenges, and agreed to continue their dialogue".
Although US presidents typically call Israeli leaders shortly after taking office, Mr Biden was in the Oval Office for nearly a month before contacting Mr Netanyahu.
But the White House has repeatedly played down suggestions that the delay was a snub to the right-wing Israeli leader.
The two leaders last spoke on November 12, when Mr Biden called Mr Netanyahu shortly after winning the US election.
Israel will hold another round of its elections on March 23.
The Netanyahu government has vigorously voiced its opposition to the US re-entering the Iran nuclear deal, which Mr Biden has indicated he would do if Tehran returned to compliance.
When Mr Biden served as vice president to former president Barack Obama, Mr Netanyahu accepted an invitation from Republican leaders to address Congress, where he criticised the administration’s negotiations with Iran.
The talks ultimately led to the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and world powers in 2015.
Former president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Iran deal in 2018 and made other moves that were favourable to Israel.
He moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and rescinded a decades-old legal opinion that found Israel's West Bank settlements in breach of international law.
Mr Trump also recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.
His administration also oversaw the Abraham Accord, where the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel – a treaty that Mr Biden has also praised.
Biden meets Middle East leaders - in pictures
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
More on Quran memorisation:
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
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