![]() ![]() The persistent frustrations of Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy are nothing new for Biden, who first visited the region in 1973 after being elected to the Senate. Asked about using military force against Iran, Biden said, “If that was the last resort, yes.” “The only thing worse than the Iran that exists now is an Iran with nuclear weapons,” Biden said. In an interview with Israel's Channel 12 taped before he left Washington and broadcast Wednesday, Biden expressed his determination to stop Iran’s growing nuclear program. The 79-year-old president will meet Israeli leaders seeking to broaden cooperation against Iran, and Palestinian leaders frustrated by what they describe as Washington’s failure to curb Israeli aggression. A children’s choir sang a poem by Hannah Szenes, a female Jewish resistance fighter who was captured by the Nazis in Hungary and executed at the age of 23. Later, he visited Israel’s national Holocaust memorial to pay his respects to the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and collaborators during World War II.ĭuring his stop at Yad Vashem, Biden rekindled the eternal flame of remembrance, laid a wreath and met with two Holocaust survivors - Rena Quint, 86, and Giselle Cycowicz, 95. They include the Iron Dome, a rocket defense system that has intercepted thousands of rockets fired by Gaza militants, as well as a new laser-based system called the “Iron Beam.” That system is not yet operational.īiden also received a classified security briefing from Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz before heading to Jerusalem. The systems have been developed in partnerships with the US Israel prepared the display at its main international airport, showing off a multilayered system that is capable of intercepting everything from long-range ballistic missiles in space to short-range rockets. The president was then given a tour of Israel’s advanced missile-defense systems. “We'll continue to advance Israel's integration into the region,” Biden said shortly after Air Force One touched down. He delivered a speech in which he vowed “to advance Israel's integration” in the Middle East and discuss support for the two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The president was received at Ben Gurion Airport by Israeli officials including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He will hold talks with Israeli, Palestinian, and Saudi Arabian officials during the four-day trip. JERUSALEM: US President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday for his first trip to the Middle East since taking office.
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