Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met Wednesday with AIPAC CEO Howard Kohr in the framework of his visit to Washington.
Prime Minister Bennett thanked Kohr for the organization’s steadfast support for the State of Israel and said he views its activity as a leading and integral factor in strengthening Israel’s standing in the US.
In response, Kohr wished Bennett success on his first diplomatic visit to Washington, at the invitation of US President Joe Biden.
The two discussed the national challenges facing the State of Israel in the diplomatic, security and economic spheres, and agreed to remain in close contact.
Bennett is slated to meet Thursday at the White House with the American president.
He met on Wednesday (Aug. 25) with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as well as other senior administration officials.
In remarks prior to leaving Israel on Tuesday night, Bennett noted that a new administration in Washington presents a new opportunity to discuss the bilateral priorities shared by Israel and the United States.
“There is a new administration in the US and a new government in Israel,” he pointed out. “I am bringing with me from Jerusalem a new spirit of cooperation, which rests on the special and long-standing connection between the two countries.
“We will deal with many fronts, especially the Iranian front, and especially the jump in the Iranian nuclear program over the past two or three years. In particular, we will discuss the plan to block this program,” he said.
Bennett said he also intends to “deal with several actions to strengthen the Israeli military superiority” as well as discuss “the spheres of high-tech, the economy, innovation, the climate crisis that disturbs us all and – of course – the fight against the coronavirus.”
In his diplomatic tool kit, Bennett said he will share with the president those insights gained by Israel in its campaign to administer a third inoculation against COVID-19.
National Security Council chief and National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata, a former senior Mossad official is joining Bennett on the visit, as are Israel’s Cabinet Secretary, the head of Bennett’s staff, the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary, the diplomatic adviser and other senior Israeli officials.