Blinken fetes Netanyahu over new government, says they can agree to disagree

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulates Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu on forming a new government and reiterates that the Biden administration will judge the next coalition based on its policies, rather than the personalities of those who make up what is being described as the most right-wing cabinet in Israeli history.

“I want to extend congratulations to Prime Minister Netanyahu on announcing the formation of a new government. The Knesset still has to approve it before it can be formally sworn in, but we look forward to working with Israel to advance both the interests and the values that have long been at the heart of our relationship and also to promot[e] a broader approach to try and bring equal measures of security, opportunity, prosperity and dignity to Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Blinken says when asked about the new government during a press appearance at the State Department.

“We’ve demonstrated over successive Israeli governments and over successive American administrations [that] precisely because we have a rock solid partnership and one that is committed to Israel’s security that we can have very candid conversations when we disagree,” Blinken continues. “That’s not going to change either.”