Biden made clear that Israel has the right to decide how to proceed with Iran

Political official present at Biden-Rivlin meeting: The American representatives were very interested in the Israeli information on Iran.

 By Yoni Kempinski, INN          Jun 29 , 2021 6:00 AM

Biden and Rivlin Haim Zach/GPO

Monday’s meeting between US President Joe Biden and President Reuven Rivlin lasted beyond the time that was allotted to it, and according to a political source who was present at the meeting, the issues that were raised touched on the significant challenges facing Israel in the various arenas.

Rivlin spoke at length with Biden about Iran and even conveyed messages from Jerusalem on the subject. The American representatives were very interested in the Israeli information and listened with great attention.

The political source was under the impression that the Americans were open to hearing alternatives to resolving the Iranian issue.

Biden himself made clear during the meeting that Israel has the right to do what it sees fit regarding Iran. As far as the Iranian issue is concerned, the impression was given that the United States is very concerned about President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.

The second issue brought up during the meeting was Israel’s need to deal with threats from within civilian populations. Israel’s need for precision weapons to address these challenges was brought up in the conversation.

The third issue was the Palestinian Arab issue. In the conversation, President Rivlin said that a two-state solution is an irrelevant proposal today. In terms of the need to maintain security, he made clear that in his view there is no room for another sovereign on the ground but stressed that he is not an authority on the issue in his status as President.

During the meeting, the issue of the support Hamas receives among the Palestinian Arab public, which further clarifies that the two-state solution is currently irrelevant, was brought up.

Regarding the new government in Israel, political sources were under the impression that the new administration in Washington is aware of the uniqueness of the current government in light of the entry of an Arab party into the coalition.

The meeting gave the impression that Prime Minister Bennett would be invited to a meeting at the White House very soon.

The source said that the Americans were very impressed by IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi’s recent visit to Washington.

He further noted that President Rivlin came with a fear that he would see in Washington the influence of the anti-Israel Democrats and was happy to see that Biden had not changed his pro-Israel views.

Sources close to Rivlin hope and believe that Biden still feels toward Israel as he did when he said of himself to Rivlin many years ago: “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.”

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JPOST had this to say:

“Iran will never get a nuclear weapon on my watch,” Biden said.

He also addressed Sunday’s airstrikes against Iranian backed militias in Syria and Iraq: “I directed last night’s airstrikes targeting sites used by Iranian-backed militia groups in response for recent attacks on US personnel in Iraq,” he said.

“I just wanted to thank the president for being here,” said Biden at the beginning of their conversation at the oval office.

Biden assured Rivlin that his commitment to Israel “is iron-clad” and that he has an “unwavering commitment to [Israel’s] self defense.

My team and I are already working closely with the Israeli government that took office earlier this month,” Biden said. “I am looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Bennett at the White House very soon.”

Later on Monday evening, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, welcomed Rivlin on Capitol Hill to a meeting with a group of bipartisan lawmakers. “The support for Israel in this Congress has always been strongly bipartisan, and it will continue to be so, because of our shared values and because of our mutual security concerns,” she told Rivlin at a photo opportunity.

On Tuesday, he will hold several meetings at the UN. First, he will meet with the General Secretary, and later with 20 UN ambassadors, including from Russia, the UK, the US, Bahrain and Morocco.

Rivlin also met with UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaibi on Monday, thanking him for his “key role” in the Abraham Accords in a tweet on Tuesday morning.

Rivlin is expected to return to Israel on June 30. His term ends on July 7. He will be succeeded by Isaac Herzog, who was elected earlier this month as Israel’s 11th president.

Biden and Rivlin also discussed regional issues, including the indirect Vienna negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. Biden is the third sitting US president that Rivlin will meet with, the other two being Donald Trump and Barack Obama. It is also his fourth visit to Washington in office, after previous visits in January 2015, November 2015, and November 2017.

“I am delighted to be here once again to meet the President of the United States,” Rivlin told Biden. “Israel has no greater friend or ally than the United States of America. You are our best friends, and we [share] values of democracy and liberalism.”

“And, according to a real friendship, we can, from time to time, discuss matters and even agree not to agree on everything,” he said, hinting at the possibility of the renewal of the JCPOA.

“But we count on you,” Rivlin told Biden. “Your declaration just now brought Israelis to understand that we have a great friend at the White House.”

Biden said during the meeting that the United States and Israel will continue to work to advance peace in the region, and promote stability.

“The US fully supports normalization of the relationship between Israel and Middle Eastern countries that you’re making some headway on – in Africa as well,” Biden said. “And beyond the important progress, we are really looking forward to building back a wider block of peace and stability.”

National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State, attended the meeting as well.

“We had a very in-depth, detailed meeting on issues that concern the entire Middle East and of course the United States,” President Rivlin told reporters at the end of the White House meeting. “We found in the White House a true friend of the State of Israel,  even in the days when I met [Biden] in 1971 in Jerusalem with [former Mayor of Jerusalem] Teddy Kollek, he said that one does not have to be Jewish to be a Zionist.”

“We found a friend that also responded to our requests to keep an eye on everything related to the agreement being formed with Iran,” Rivlin said, and added: “Things are still far from decided.”

“The leaders discussed the many challenges facing the region, including the threat posed by Iran,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting. Biden “assured President Rivlin that the United States remains determined to counter Iran’s malign activity and support for terrorist proxies, which have destabilizing consequences for the region.

“The leaders also consulted on opportunities to enhance peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond,” the statement reads. “In that regard, the President expressed his strong support for the normalization of relations between Israel and other countries in the Arab and Muslim world.”

The two also discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and President Biden “emphasized the importance of Israel taking steps to ensure calm, stability, and to support greater economic opportunities for the Palestinian people.”

“President Biden affirmed his view that a negotiated two-state solution remains the best avenue to achieving a lasting peace. The leaders discussed the importance of enhancing efforts to strengthen moderate voices and promote the cause of coexistence while weakening extremists who advocate for hatred and violence,” The statement reads.