World News | Biden Has Met Every Israeli PM Since 1973
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. President Joe Biden is six years older than Israel, which was established in 1948, and he's met every one of the country's prime ministers since he was first elected as a US senator from Delaware.
Tel Aviv, Jul 13 (AP) President Joe Biden is six years older than Israel, which was established in 1948, and he's met every one of the country's prime ministers since he was first elected as a US senator from Delaware.
His first visit was in 1973, shortly before Arab nations launched a surprise attack to begin the Yom Kippur War, and he sat down with Golda Meir.
Also Read | Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: Gotabaya Rajapaksa To Leave for Singapore From Maldives.
In a story that he's told often, Biden recalls Meir chain smoking cigarettes and showing him maps of the region to explain Israel's precarious security situation. When the meeting ended, Biden says, she told him that Israelis had a “secret weapon” in their battle for survival - “We have nowhere else to go.”
Several more trips followed over the years, although not every one has gone smoothly. When Biden served as vice president, his 2010 visit was undermined by an announcement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government that Jewish settlements in the West Bank were being expanded.
Also Read | US Embassy in Sri Lanka Cancels All Consular Services Amid Fresh Protests.
There's unlikely to be such friction with Yair Lapid, the current prime minister. However, Lapid only leads an interim government that was formed when the last one collapsed, and elections are being held in November.(AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)