The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and the Zionist Federation of Australia have congratulated Joe Biden on his election as the President of the United States, and his running mate Kamala Harris, who becomes America’s first female vice-President.
AIJAC’s national chairman Mark Leibler and executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein said: We wish President-elect Biden and his team every success as they navigate these difficult times, both domestically and internationally, over the next four years.
Mr Biden is of course a long-standing friend of Israel and the Jewish people, and we hope and expect he will embrace and sustain the long-standing bipartisan tradition of warm and close Israel-US ties. Mr Biden is also a familiar face to Australians, having visited in 2016, and we expect him to continue to strengthen the vitally important and robust Australia-US alliance.”
Among the items on President-elect Biden’s long to-do list, AIJAC urges the Biden administration to sustain military and financial pressure on Iran’s regime to curtail its violent, destabilising activities. It is also to be hoped that President-elect Biden will achieve a new deal which genuinely ends Teheran’s quest for nuclear weapons.
In addition, AIJAC expressed optimism that the new Biden administration can build on the Abraham Accords negotiated under the Trump Administration, continuing to expand the circle of Arab and Muslim partners with Israel.
AIJAC expresses its appreciation for the major achievements of outgoing US President Donald Trump and his team in the Middle East, including both the long-overdue move of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and the pathbreaking Abraham Accords, leading to normalisation between Israel and three Arab states and potentially many more.
Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler commented: “Mr Biden has a unique opportunity to heal the deep divisions within American society, and we wish him the very best as he prepares his team and gets ready for the presidency.
Mr Biden has a long and genuine friendship with Israel”, Mr Leibler continued, “and proudly calls himself a Zionist, when some other Democratic leaders shy away from what is not and should not be a partisan term. I look forward to the US¬-Israel relationship remaining strong during the Biden Administration.
We also congratulate Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, on this historic victory – the first woman and woman of colour in the role. Ms Harris has deep ties to the Jewish community, and in her relatively short time on the national stage, has shown a strong support of Israel.”
Mr Leibler also acknowledged Donald Trump’s strong support for Israel. “History will show that it was during the Trump Administration that the UAE and Bahrain signed treaties with Israel and that Sudan signalled its intent to do so. History will also show that it was Mr Trump that moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, fulfilling a Congressional request that three other presidents had failed to deliver.”