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Biden tells Netanyahu: ‘You know how much I love you’

“I just had a warm and excellent meeting with U.S. President Biden,” Netanyahu said to the media after the meeting.

By World Israel News Staff

Despite Washington’s directive that there would be no handshaking at the tarmac upon President Joe Biden’s arrival Wednesday at Ben-Gurion Airport other than with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the U.S. leader shook hands with opposition leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he has known for decades.

When Biden noticed Netanyahu, who was standing among other cabinet members, he immediately approached him, shook his hand and said, “You know how much I love you,” Israel’s Channel 14 reported.

Then on Thursday, Biden spent more than 20 minutes with his old friend. They met at the presidential residence, where Biden first met with President Isaac Herzog.

Biden and Netanyahu discussed, among other issues, the Iranian threat and the issue of visa waivers for Israelis.

“I just had a warm and excellent meeting with U.S. President Biden,” Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language statement to media after the meeting.

“I thanked him for the deep and personal friendship between us and, above all, for his truly strong commitment, truly, to the State of Israel.

“I also thanked him for the addition to the Iron Dome that he gave us during the recent operation in Gaza…it wasn’t easy…and he supported us in many ways over the years.

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“We have been friends for about 40 years, but to secure the next 40 years, we need to address the Iranian threat,” Netanyahu stated.

“We want one thing – and I told him that. Economic sanctions are not enough…a credible offensive military option is needed because without it, nothing will work,” he stressed.

He knows my position that the [Iran nuclear] agreement is bad,” he said, adding that he hopes it’s also Washington’s position.

“President Biden said he agrees with me,” the opposition leader said, vowing that Iran will be his main focus if he returns to the premiership after the upcoming November elections.