Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome on Sunday and emphasized that he won’t make the “mistakes made” in the past, a reference to former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s openly contentious relationship with the Obama administration and his close relationship with President Donald Trump.
“Secretary Blinken and I represent new administrations, his a few months old, mine only a few weeks,” Lapid said. “But we also represent a very long and strong tradition of close friendship and cooperation. There is no relationship more important to Israel than the United States of America. There is no friend more loyal to the United States than Israel.”
“In the past few years mistakes were made. Israel’s bi-partisan standing was hurt. We will fix those mistakes together.”
FM @YairLapid meets with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken:
"Secretary Blinken and I represent new administrations, his a few months old, mine only a few weeks, but we also represent a very long and strong tradition of close friendship and cooperation."🔗https://t.co/dJOgbGfSeM pic.twitter.com/4UoszHSRce
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 27, 2021
“In the past few days, I spoke with a number of American leaders, both Democrats and Republicans. I reminded them all that Israel shares America’s most basic values – freedom, democracy, free markets, the constant search for peace,” Lapid continued.
“In the struggle for those values, Secretary Blinken is a great friend and a great partner. Like me, he grew up in the home of a Holocaust survivor, who always said that the world has a responsibility to ensure Israel’s peace and security.”
It was a pleasure to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister @yairlapid today in Rome. We discussed the strong partnership between Israel and the United States, our commitment to Israel’s security, and our support for regional normalization efforts. pic.twitter.com/Kw8QjROeNE
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 27, 2021
“We will have disagreements, but they are not about the essence, they are about how to get there. We want the same things; we sometimes disagree about how to achieve them.”
Lapid noted that Israel “has some serious reservations about the Iran nuclear deal being put together in Vienna. We believe the way to discuss those disagreements is through direct and professional conversations, not in press conferences.”
“Mr. Secretary,” he added, “this is also the time to thank the United States for its support for Israel’s normalization efforts in the region. In a couple of days, I will make the first official visit by an Israeli minister to the United Arab Emirates. That visit will be historic and I hope it will be the first of many.”
Lapid also met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Bahrain Abdullatif Al-Zayani in Rome, the first meeting of an official of the new government with an official of a country that normalized ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords.
Lapid is traveling to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
ROME: FM @yairlapid met with #Bahrain's FM Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani. The two FMs discussed bilateral ties and challenges faced by the Middle East, primarily #Iran. pic.twitter.com/MwvZKNI2Zc
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 27, 2021
השלום עם בחריין צריך להוות דוגמה לתהליך הנכון שצריך לקרות באזורנו. דיברנו בנוסף על האתגרים העומדים בפני המזרח התיכון ובראשם איראן.
הקשר בין מדינת ישראל לבחריין הוא חשוב ומשמעותי לשתי המדינות ואנחנו נמשיך לחזק ולהעמיק אותו לטובת שני העמים. pic.twitter.com/xpXfVhGebC— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 27, 2021
Following his meeting with Al-Zayani, Lapid met with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.
בפגישה עם שר החוץ האיטלקי לואיג׳י דה מאיו. pic.twitter.com/BMWx0JRc0t
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 27, 2021
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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Yair Lapid met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome on Sunday and emphasized that he won’t make the “mistakes made” in the past Stop it בעל גאווה.
Netanyahu did an infinitely better job than you shall ever be capable of doing.