Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi will make an official trip to the United States on June 20 for the first time.

Kochavi will discuss with his hosts in the Defense Department and U.S. Armed Forces a slew of shared security challenges, the IDF spokesperson said in a statement.

The discussions will revolve around the Iranian nuclear threat, Iranian efforts to increase their influence across the Middle East, Hezbollah’s strengthening efforts, and the consequences of precise missiles in the battlefield.

The visit was initially scheduled in April but was postponed due to the confrontation between Israel and Gaza.

Photo: Walla! News

Iron Dome benefits the US

The remarkable performance the US-Israel jointly-produced Iron Dome mobile, all-weather, anti-missile defense system – during the May 2021 Gaza war against Hamas terrorists – was another milestone in the mutually-beneficial US-Israel alliance in the face of mutual terrorist threats and in the pursuit of cutting-edge technologies.

The Iron Dome was fully-developed by Israel, mostly funded by the US, and co-manufactured by Israel and (mostly) the US. Upon completion of the development by Israel’s RAFAEL, the game-changing Iron Dome technology was shared with the US’ Raytheon, which spared the US many years and mega-billions of dollars of research and development.

Moreover, the Iron Dome performance during the recent Gaza War has raised the interest of several countries (e.g., South Korea, Japan, Singapore, India, Poland, the Baltic states and Latin American countries) to acquire the system, which will increase US exports and expand the employment base of the US defense industry.

In addition, the US Army may expand its existing inventory of two Iron Dome batteries, leveraging Israel’s battle experience – which has systematically enhanced the performance of the Iron Dome – in order to advance the defense of its own soldiers.

Hamas – a mutual threat to Israel and the US

Israel’s recent war in Gaza was against Hamas Islamic terrorists, a proxy of Iran’s Ayatollahs, whose machete is at the throat of every pro-US Arab regime, and whose strategic goal is to dominate the Persian Gulf, the Middle East and beyond, by overwhelming the US.

Hamas is a branch of the global Muslim Brotherhood terrorist-political-social network, and a role model of repression and terrorism, which throws its political opponents off the roofs of Gaza towers.

Both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood – as enunciated by Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, its key strategist Sayyid Qutb and its top contemporary authority Yusuf al-Qaradawi – view Israel as an “infidel,” illegitimate entity in the “abode of Islam” and a strategic beachhead of the US. They are committed to a “holy war” against the Jewish State, in order to advance the Quran-based mega-goal of dominating the world under a universal Islamic society, which requires the (peaceful or violent) submission of the “infidel” West to Islam. Hence, the multitude of Muslim Brotherhood organizations from Pakistan in the east to South and North America in the west.

Thus, Yusuf al-Qaradawi declared that “Islam will return to Europe as a victorious conqueror after having been expelled twice. This time, it will not be a conquest by the sword, but by preaching and spreading [Islamic] ideology…. The spread of Islam until it conquers the entire world paves the road to the return of the Islamic Caliphate….”

The Muslim Brotherhood considers migration of Muslims to the West as a tactic to overwhelm the “infidel,” just like the 7^th century migration (Hijrah) of Muhammed, from Mecca to Medina, which paved the road to the establishment of the Islamic Empire from the Arabian Peninsula to Spain.

Prof. Albert Hourani, who was a leading Middle East historian at Oxford University (A History of the Arab Peoples, pp. 445-446) wrote that the tenets of the Muslim Brotherhood include “a total rejection of all forms of society except the wholly Islamic one… which accepted the sovereign authority of [Allah]…. The leadership of Western man in the human world is coming to an end….”

Moreover, Article 8 of the Hamas charter stipulates that “Jihad [holy war] is the path of Hamas, and death for the sake of Allah is the most exalted wish….” Article 13 states that “There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except Jihad….” Article 31 notes that “The three monotheistic religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism – can live side by side under the aegis of Islam….”

US benefits from its annual investment in Israel

Israel’s 1967 swift victory over Egypt, Syria and Jordan devastated the pro-USSR and anti-US Egyptian military, which had attempted to overtake the pro-US Arab oil-producing countries, at a time when the US was heavily dependent upon Persian Gulf oil. The Israeli victory denied the USSR a strategic bonanza, and spared the US a national security and economic calamity.

Thus, since 1967, the US-Israel saga has increasingly become a mutually-beneficial, two-way street in the following manner:

1. Israel is the most productive, cost-effective, battle-tested laboratory for the US defense industries and armed forces, as demonstrated by the F-35, F-16 and F-15 combat aircraft – as well as by hundreds of additional US military systems employed by Israel – which were supplied to Israel and accumulated vast combat experience, operationally, maintenance-wise and repair-wise. This unique Israeli combat experience has promoted US military systems throughout the world, advancing US exports.

The Israeli experience/lessons have been constantly shared with the US manufacturers and the US Air Force. It has upgraded the quality of US combat aircraft, thus sparing the US defense industry many years and billions of dollars in research and development; enhancing US competitiveness in global competition; increasing US exports and expanding the US employment-base. The Israeli battle-tested laboratory has yielded a mega-billion-dollar bonanza to the US defense industries, and enhanced the performance of the US Air Force and other branches of the US military.

Israel’s battle experience has been shared with the US armed forces, such as Special Operation troops on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan, who spend 2-3 weeks in Israel, being trained by Israel’s top experts on neutralizing car-bombs, suicide bombers and the deadly Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Furthermore, the Israeli battle experience (wars and counter-terrorism) has been shared with the US, impacting much of the US Army battle-tactic-formulation in Ft. Leavenworth, KS.

2. Israel is the most productive outside-source of military intelligence for the US, which has exceeded the intelligence supplied to the US by all NATO countries combined (e.g., the entire Iranian nuclear archive; battle tactics of potential and actual enemies; advantages and disadvantages of hostile military systems; counter-terrorism; and preempting Middle East flareups). Israel has assisted in foiling anti-US terrorism and attempts to topple pro-US Arab regimes.

According to General George Keegan, a former Chief of US Air Force Intelligence: “I could not have procured the intelligence [received from Israel] with five CIAs….”  In order to realistically assess the magnitude of Israel’s contribution to the US intelligence, one should note that the annual budget of the CIA is about $15bn!

3. Israel is a most innovative hub of US commercial high-tech, second only to the US, hosting research and development centers of some 250 US high-tech giants, such as Intel, Microsoft, Amazon, Cisco, Apple, HP, Kodak, Google, Facebook, IBM, AOL, Applied Materials, Johnson & Johnson, etc. These US giants leverage the brain power of Israel – the Startup Nation – in order to expand US production, exports and employment.
4. Israel is a uniquely reliable, effective and democratic outpost of the US in the extremely critical area between Europe, Asia and Africa, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, which extends the strategic reach of the US, with no need for additional US military personnel.

Also, Israel’s posture of deterrence, defense technologies, battle experience, intelligence network and training capabilities play a major role in securing the highly vulnerable pro-US Arab regimes (e.g., Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco), which face existential threats by Iran’s Ayatollahs, the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS.

As stated by the late General Alexander Haig, a former Supreme Commander of NATO and US Secretary of State: Israel is the largest US aircraft carrier, which does not require a single boot on board, is located in a most strategic area for US military and economic interests, and cannot be sunk. If there were not an Israel in the eastern flank of the Mediterranean, the US would have to dispatch a few more aircraft carriers to the region, in addition to a few more ground divisions, at an annual (manufacturing, deployment, maintenance) cost of $15bn-$20bn.

In conclusion, Israel is a unique military and commercial force-multiplier for the US.

Accordingly, the US makes an annual investment in – rather than extending foreign aid to – Israel, which yields a few hundred percent annual rate-of-return to the American taxpayer.

The US Senate passed a resolution “unequivocally condemning the recent rise in antisemitic violence and harassment targeting Jewish Americans."

The resolution also made it clear that they stand in solidarity with those affected by the uptick in Jew-hatred.

The US president has decided in favor of the appointment, which still needs to pass the approval of the US Senate, in a procedure that could take between two and three months.

US Record Joe Biden this evening (Tuesday) officially announced his intention to appoint Tom Nides as the US Ambassador to Israel. The appointment has yet to pass U.S. Senate approval. It is estimated that the appointment will be approved without issue, but the procedure may take between two and three months.

Niles, the former U.S. deputy secretary of state, is the most likely candidate for the job, according to a source involved in the details. Former Congressman Robert Wexler was until recently another leading candidate for the position and even won the support of many members of Congress and Jewish organizations, but did not win the nomination in the end as Biden leaned in the direction of Nides.

Niles currently serves as CEO of Morgan Stanley Bank. He served as Deputy Secretary of State for Administration and Resources under former President Barack Obama. He is very close to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein and other close advisers to Biden.

A visit by a delegation of retired generals and admirals (G&A) from the US Army to Israel

The IDF spokesman said that this week, led by the JINSA Research Institute, a delegation of former generals and admirals from the US Army will be hosted in Israel. Among the members of the delegation is the former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired General Joseph P. Dunford.

As usual, members of the JINSA delegation will publish a report of recommendations on national security in the United States following visits to Israel.

The Delegation of Generals and Admirals will meet with many IDF officials, including Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi, to discuss a variety of issues, including the lessons of Operation Guardian of the Walls, the security situation, strategic plans, and current and future threats to the State of Israel - with an emphasis on Iran.

The delegation will also meet with the Israeli Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, and other senior government officials.

The Jewish community in Los Angeles banded together to celebrate and support Israel during a Pro-Israel rally in Beverly Hills. Thank you for standing with Israel!

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued statements welcoming their counterparts in the new Israeli government.

MK Sharren Haskel sent a message to Dr. Mike Evans saying:

“Hey Mike,

I pray and hope you will not destroy your life’s work and will not make an irreversible move.
Shabbat Shalom.”

To which Dr. Evans responded,

"Sharren; 

I will not destroy my life work. God is with me and He will defend me. The precious nation of Israel that you have the privilege and honor of calling home was not a home during the time of the Holocaust when Jew-haters defined the terms of the debate. The nation of Israel would have not been born if it had not been for three Zionists: Theodor Herzl, who stood up against Jews who were opposed to Zionism; Ze'ev Jabotinsky, who did the same and had the insight to see prophetically what Israel would be facing and built the first Jewish army; and third was Menachem Begin, who was the father of the very party you left. He was imprisoned by the Russians for being a Zionist.

The vast majority of your party are not Zionists, they're post-Zionists and they don't even know it. They're all victims of the boiling frog syndrome. They've softened their position on Zionism to accommodate their enemies. 

I will never support a post-Zionist government. And if it means the destruction of my life work, so be it. How you can be part of a post-Zionist government is shocking. Everything about you cries out to me, "She has moral clarity. She has the courage to stand up and do the right thing."

No matter what, I've seen it over and over again. I've listened to your speeches, every word and have 100 percent supported you from the day I met you until the day you made the decision to join a post-Zionist government. You have no comprehension how wrong you are and how damaging this is going to be to Herzl, Jabotinsky, and Begin's dream and sacrifice. 

Obviously, you've made your mind up, and I can't do anything about that. But I've made my mind up too. Fifty years of my life have been dedicated to defending Zionists and for that my life is being threatened. I'll take a bullet between my eyes before I'll compromise on what I know to be the truth. Only a strong Zionist nation could have prevented the death of six million Jews. Don't give Ben Gurion the credit for the declaration of statehood, because he doesn't deserve it. The man who took on the British is the same man that Ben Gurion despised, Menachem Begin. 

The Zionist Ben Gurion would have been comfortable with this new government because he was also comfortable and accommodating to the British, believing the end justified the means. Ben Gurion was never going to proclaim statehood. When he did, he only did it because Menachem Begin, the Zionist announced on the radio over and over again he was going to declare it himself if Ben Gurion didn't. 

Sharren, you're young and may have not lived long enough to understand what I'm saying. But in time you will, and you will regret in great shame and embarrassment the decision you have made. I will gladly give my life for the Jewish people. My life was born out of defending Jews- including my own father, from Jew-haters. I'm not about to compromise for anyone or anything. I'll always remain your friend, no matter what. 

Most sincerely, Mike Evans"
📸: Wiki Images

Iron Dome benefits the US

The remarkable performance the US-Israel jointly-produced Iron Dome mobile, all-weather, anti-missile defense system – during the May 2021 Gaza war against Hamas terrorists – was another milestone in the mutually-beneficial US-Israel alliance in the face of mutual terrorist threats and in the pursuit of cutting-edge technologies.

The Iron Dome was fully-developed by Israel, mostly funded by the US, and co-manufactured by Israel and (mostly) the US. Upon completion of the development by Israel’s RAFAEL, the game-changing Iron Dome technology was shared with the US’ Raytheon, which spared the US many years and mega-billions of dollars of research and development.

Moreover, the Iron Dome performance during the recent Gaza War has raised the interest of several countries (e.g., South Korea, Japan, Singapore, India, Poland, the Baltic states and Latin American countries) to acquire the system, which will increase US exports and expand the employment base of the US defense industry.

In addition, the US Army may expand its existing inventory of two Iron Dome batteries, leveraging Israel’s battle experience – which has systematically enhanced the performance of the Iron Dome – in order to advance the defense of its own soldiers.

Hamas – a mutual threat to Israel and the US

Israel’s recent war in Gaza was against Hamas Islamic terrorists, a proxy of Iran’s Ayatollahs, whose machete is at the throat of every pro-US Arab regime, and whose strategic goal is to dominate the Persian Gulf, the Middle East and beyond, by overwhelming the US.

Hamas is a branch of the global Muslim Brotherhood terrorist-political-social network, and a role model of repression and terrorism, which throws its political opponents off the roofs of Gaza towers.

Both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood – as enunciated by Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, its key strategist Sayyid Qutb and its top contemporary authority Yusuf al-Qaradawi – view Israel as an “infidel,” illegitimate entity in the “abode of Islam” and a strategic beachhead of the US. They are committed to a “holy war” against the Jewish State, in order to advance the Quran-based mega-goal of dominating the world under a universal Islamic society, which requires the (peaceful or violent) submission of the “infidel” West to Islam. Hence, the multitude of Muslim Brotherhood organizations from Pakistan in the east to South and North America in the west.

Thus, Yusuf al-Qaradawi declared that “Islam will return to Europe as a victorious conqueror after having been expelled twice. This time, it will not be a conquest by the sword, but by preaching and spreading [Islamic] ideology…. The spread of Islam until it conquers the entire world paves the road to the return of the Islamic Caliphate….”

The Muslim Brotherhood considers migration of Muslims to the West as a tactic to overwhelm the “infidel,” just like the 7th century migration (Hijrah) of Muhammed, from Mecca to Medina, which paved the road to the establishment of the Islamic Empire from the Arabian Peninsula to Spain.

Prof. Albert Hourani, who was a leading Middle East historian at Oxford University (A History of the Arab Peoples, pp. 445-446) wrote that the tenets of the Muslim Brotherhood include “a total rejection of all forms of society except the wholly Islamic one… which accepted the sovereign authority of [Allah]…. The leadership of Western man in the human world is coming to an end….”

Moreover, Article 8 of the Hamas charter stipulates that “Jihad [holy war] is the path of Hamas, and death for the sake of Allah is the most exalted wish….” Article 13 states that “There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except Jihad….” Article 31 notes that “The three monotheistic religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism – can live side by side under the aegis of Islam….”

US benefits from its annual investment in Israel

Israel’s 1967 swift victory over Egypt, Syria and Jordan devastated the pro-USSR and anti-US Egyptian military, which had attempted to overtake the pro-US Arab oil-producing countries, at a time when the US was heavily dependent upon Persian Gulf oil. The Israeli victory denied the USSR a strategic bonanza, and spared the US a national security and economic calamity.

Thus, since 1967, the US-Israel saga has increasingly become a mutually-beneficial, two-way street in the following manner:

Israel is the most productive, cost-effective, battle-tested laboratory for the US defense industries and armed forces, as demonstrated by the F-35, F-16 and F-15 combat aircraft – as well as by hundreds of additional US military systems employed by Israel – which were supplied to Israel and accumulated vast combat experience, operationally, maintenance-wise and repair-wise. This unique Israeli combat experience has promoted US military systems throughout the world, advancing US exports.

The Israeli experience/lessons have been constantly shared with the US manufacturers and the US Air Force. It has upgraded the quality of US combat aircraft, thus sparing the US defense industry many years and billions of dollars in research and development; enhancing US competitiveness in global competition; increasing US exports and expanding the US employment-base. The Israeli battle-tested laboratory has yielded a mega-billion-dollar bonanza to the US defense industries, and enhanced the performance of the US Air Force and other branches of the US military.

Israel’s battle experience has been shared with the US armed forces, such as Special Operation troops on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan, who spend 2-3 weeks in Israel, being trained by Israel’s top experts on neutralizing car-bombs, suicide bombers and the deadly Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Furthermore, the Israeli battle experience (wars and counter-terrorism) has been shared with the US, impacting much of the US Army battle-tactic-formulation in Ft. Leavenworth, KS.

Israel is the most productive outside-source of military intelligence for the US, which has exceeded the intelligence supplied to the US by all NATO countries combined (e.g., the entire Iranian nuclear archive; battle tactics of potential and actual enemies; advantages and disadvantages of hostile military systems; counter-terrorism; and preempting Middle East flareups). Israel has assisted in foiling anti-US terrorism and attempts to topple pro-US Arab regimes.
According to General George Keegan, a former Chief of US Air Force Intelligence: “I could not have procured the intelligence [received from Israel] with five CIAs….”  In order to realistically assess the magnitude of Israel’s contribution to the US intelligence, one should note that the annual budget of the CIA is about $15bn!

Israel is a most innovative hub of US commercial high-tech, second only to the US, hosting research and development centers of some 250 US high-tech giants, such as Intel, Microsoft, Amazon, Cisco, Apple, HP, Kodak, Google, Facebook, IBM, AOL, Applied Materials, Johnson & Johnson, etc. These US giants leverage the brain power of Israel – the Startup Nation – in order to expand US production, exports and employment.
Israel is a uniquely reliable, effective and democratic outpost of the US in the extremely critical area between Europe, Asia and Africa, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, which extends the strategic reach of the US, with no need for additional US military personnel.
Also, Israel’s posture of deterrence, defense technologies, battle experience, intelligence network and training capabilities play a major role in securing the highly vulnerable pro-US Arab regimes (e.g., Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco), which face existential threats by Iran’s Ayatollahs, the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS.

As stated by the late General Alexander Haig, a former Supreme Commander of NATO and US Secretary of State: Israel is the largest US aircraft carrier, which does not require a single boot on board, is located in a most strategic area for US military and economic interests, and cannot be sunk. If there were not an Israel in the eastern flank of the Mediterranean, the US would have to dispatch a few more aircraft carriers to the region, in addition to a few more ground divisions, at an annual (manufacturing, deployment, maintenance) cost of $15bn-$20bn.

In conclusion, Israel is a unique military and commercial force-multiplier for the US.

Accordingly, the US makes an annual investment in – rather than extending foreign aid to – Israel, which yields a few hundred percent annual rate-of-return to the American taxpayer.

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The United States is expected to appoint a special envoy to promote normalization between Israel and the Arab world
In a briefing to sum up his tenure, the outgoing foreign minister said he "needed the Americans" to advance agreements with other countries, and that the Biden administration was told to act on the matter after a government was formed. He also said that a joint working group for Israel-US on the Palestinian issue met for the first time and discussed the opening of the American Consulate in the capital.

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Join our LIVESTREAM for a special event dedicated to all ISRAEL supporters who love the Jewish state and are concerned about the current situation!

Dr. Mike Evans will deliver a public statement on the actions required for the development and preservation of relations between the State of Israel and Evangelicals.

The conference is broadcast live from the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem and will be streamed on our Facebook page at 10 AM EST (5 PM Israel Summer Time).

LIVESTREAM in the following link:
https://fb.watch/5ZUvJaivhc/

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Rafael's competitor Dynetics demonstrated its Enduring Shield launcher, while Rafael and Raytheon demonstrated Iron Dome 

Rafael and Raytheon are competing with the Dynetics company to supply the U.S. Army with a system to defend against airborne threats and cruise missiles. Dynetics, owned by Leidos, demonstrated its Enduring Shield system for the interception of cruise missiles, while Rafael and Raytheon demonstrated the Iron Dome system and the "Tamir" interceptor, which the two companies are already providing to the Army.    

The U.S. Army announced that it is using Iron Dome temporarily until it reaches a final decision on the acquisition of a system for intercepting cruise missiles. In April and May, several teams, including ones from Rafael and Raytheon, demonstrated missile-launching capabilities in a competition that took place at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The Defense News website reported that the Dynetics company, Rafael's competitor, was supposed to demonstrate interception capability using a U.S. Army-produced launcher and Sidewinder AIM-9X interceptor at the missile range, but in the end displayed the Enduring Shield launcher, and announced that the system has advantages including simple operation, 360-degree detection and the ability to fire at multiple threats simultaneously. The vice president of the company, Ronnie Chronister, added that Dynetics is also developing a hypersonic ground-launched missile. 

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The Marine Corps has long been exploring the possibility of adapting the Iron Dome, launchers and interceptors, to their equipment, in order to develop medium-range threat interception capabilities.

The Marines are experimenting with "packing" components of an Iron Dome battery (Raphael) into a large tactical vehicle to move the system and the Tamir interceptor and intercept cruise missiles with it. Janes writes that if the experiment goes well, the Marine Corps command will consider deploying this new capability in 2022.

According to the report, the system includes two main components: a tactical vehicle with a facility that will contain the command, control and monitoring system and a task management system for the Iron Dome battery and the Tamir interceptor. The second part, the launcher and interceptor, will be installed in the rear of the vehicle, and thus will have a portable Iron Dome battery suitable for intercepting various threats, including cruise missiles.

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Biden will appoint Dan Shapiro, former US Ambassador to Israel, to a new diplomatic position in the Middle East. 

The Biden State Department discourages employees from referring to the peace agreements signed by Israel and its Arab neighbors by its official name, the Abraham Accords, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Friday.

According to the report, the name has also been erased from a wide array of official State Department communications as the new administration presses officials to refer to the Trump-era deals as "normalization agreements."

The Abraham Accords were brokered last year by the Trump administration and paved the way for Israel to sign normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and, later, Sudan and Morocco.

The Free Beacon reviewed two internal State Department emails detailing to employees that the agreements will no longer be referred to as the Abraham Accords but only as "normalization agreements."

No reason was given for the policy, a source told the website. The department also purged the term "Abraham Accords" from its talking points, documents, statements, and official communications, the source said, adding that senior department officials have been very "cagey" about explaining the policy decision and have sought to keep it quiet.

Following inquiries to the State Department about the emails and the source’s information, a spokesman told the Free Beacon, “The Department would refer to the Abraham Accords as such."

The department declined to comment on the emails in question or make clear whether its statement represents another shift in policy. A State Department official, speaking only on background, said, "This administration is not focused on what these agreements are called but what they mean."

President Joe Biden last month spoke by phone with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and stressed the strategic importance of the normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said shortly after he took office that the Biden administration supports the Abraham Accords.

“We think that Israel normalizing relations with its neighbors and other countries in the region is a very positive development, and so we applauded them. We hope that there may be an opportunity to build on them in the coming months and years ahead,” he said at the time.

The Free Beacon noted that it is unclear what impact the Biden administration believes the change will have. The State Department declined to explain its position.

JERUSALEM, Israel – Two days ago, a political earthquake shook Israel. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid formed the first coalition government in 12 years without Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The coalition agreement awaits a Knesset vote that would install Bennett as prime minister for the first two years followed by Lapid for the next two years. Many are wondering what this new coalition would mean for US-Israel relations.  

Bennett – a religious conservative - holds strong views that differ from President Joe Biden, particularly on the Iranian nuclear deal. Biden helped draft the original 2015 Iran deal and his administration is currently negotiating another agreement. Bennett explained to CBN News earlier this year why he believes the original was a bad deal.

“It gives a false sense of confidence that you know, we’ve got Iran covered,” said Bennett. “But it doesn’t. In fact, the deal allows Iran to proceed to the very verge of acquiring not one nuclear weapon, but dozens and all they need to do is press a button and they’ll have within days dozens of nuclear bombs.”

Yet in Washington, Defense Minister Benny Gantz who would remain Defense Minister in a Bennett government said any disagreements would be expressed in private.  

“We will continue this important strategic dialogue in private discussions,” Gantz said.

Netanyahu on the other hand challenged the Biden administration this week.

"If we have to choose, I hope it does not happen, between friction with our great friend the United States and the elimination of the existential threat - the elimination of the existential threat is increasing,” he said.

Netanyahu claims his possible successor – Naftali Bennett - won’t be able to stand up to pressure from the Biden administration the way he would on a number of issues like Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the re-funding of UNRWA and the contentious issue of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

The head of UNRWA came to that neighborhood to condemn what he says is a violation of international law. The US State Department has also warned Israel about the situation.

To confront the US on this issue and others, Bennett would head a divided coalition with many internal ideological differences, including an Arab party that holds anti-Zionist views. The one main glue holding the coalition together is their desire to oust Netanyahu.  

The fragile coalition still needs to be ratified by the full Knesset sometime next week. Until then, Netanyahu is doing what he can to convince one or two defectors not to support the new coalition. It’s perhaps his last opportunity to avoid being out of the office of prime minister for the first time in twelve years.

The U.S. senator said Arab leaders had told him privately that they would insist that they be allowed to enrich uranium at the same levels that the international community allows Iran.

In a report by The Times of Israel during his visit to Jerusalem, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham said Tuesday that the region may one day wake up to uranium enrichment plans all across the Middle East.

The Republican senator met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described the Republican senator as a "great friend," saying, "No one has done more for Israel than you."

Graham agreed with the views of Israel and several Arab Gulf states regarding the lack of trust in the Iranian nuclear program, noting that if "the world speaks with one voice and confronts Iran," the race for nuclear weapons in the region can be avoided.

He said, "Tehran should feel more pain because of its misconduct" regarding uranium enrichment, which has reached record levels recently.

Iran and the United States have entered into indirect negotiations in the Austrian capital Vienna, with the aim of rescuing the nuclear deal from which former President Donald Trump withdrew in 2015, an agreement that Israel publicly opposes.

The nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and the major powers stipulates that Tehran will be allowed to enrich uranium with a purity of no more than 4 percent in exchange for the removal of economic sanctions on the country.

Iran, however, gradually violated the agreement after the United States unilaterally withdrew and raised uranium enrichment levels to 60 percent.

In addition, the prominent US legislator stressed that in the United States there are bipartisan concerns about the Iranian nuclear program and Tehran's support for "terrorist" groups in the region.

Graham says he and Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez will post a statement in the Washington Post calling for an alternative to the nuclear deal.

"The French position is that Iran and the Arabs can get all the nuclear energy they want from an international fuel bank, without allowing them to enrich their countries," he explained.

He noted that the Israeli politicians he met were "very impressed" with the idea, and said that he and Mendez would pass the idea on to the Biden administration.

Graham adds: "Iran seems capable of being the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and nothing deters it," he added: "The neutralization of Hamas and Hezbollah will take place in the absence of Iranian support."

The United States, the European Union and other Western countries have Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, on their terror list.

"When it comes to threats to state security in Israel, all roads lead to Tehran," Graham continued.

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US State Department spokesman Ned Price said today (Thursday) that "the United States' strong support for Israel will continue regardless of which government it serves." Beyond that, the administration refused to comment on the process of establishing a government in Israel.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz at the State Department in Washington.