PM Bennett to @SecBlinken:
"I appreciate you taking the time in pretty hectic days here in the States.
It means a lot. Israel has no stronger and more reliable ally than the United States of America.
From our inception and to this day, especially these days, you are always with us, you have our back and that matters a lot to us.
I can assure you that you'll find no friend which is more reliable and appreciative than us.
I bring from Israel a new spirit, a spirit of folks who sometimes harbor different opinions but work together in cooperation, in good will, in a spirit of unity and we work hard to find common things that we do agree upon and move forward on it. It seems to be working.
This is the same spirit that I want to bring to our relationship of cooperation, of goodwill, of friendship.
We're going to be talking about a bunch of issues, primarily how do we fend off and curtail Iran's pursuit to dominate the region and its race to a nuclear weapon.
PM Bennett: "We will also talk about regional stability and climate change, which is an issue for all of us.
I'm looking forward to having a very good relationship with you. I appreciate the time."
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:
"We are on the threshold of a new year. We hope that it will be a better and calmer year than its predecessor. We will welcome it together, everyone with their family.
Citizens of Israel, I would like to happily and cautiously inform you today that we have rejected the pressures and avoided a lockdown over Rosh Hashanah. Continue to uphold the directives so that we will remain open also on Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
The fact that we opened the school year on time and that we are celebrating the holidays with Israel open – this was not a given. It did not happen by itself.
"American service members lost their lives while on a mission to save other people’s lives. That is the very definition of courage and sacrifice. May they rest in peace. Especially on this day I want to be crystal clear: Israel always stands together with the USA, unequivocally.
I also want to thank you for your words now and in our private meeting, which attest to your support of the State of Israel. But that's not new, it’s been decades and you've always stood up for us, especially during tough times like a few months ago
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met today at the Pentagon with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. This was their first meeting.
Prime Minister Bennett and @SecDef Austin discussed a series of regional, diplomatic and security issues, especially the ways to block Iran's regional aggression and the progress of its nuclear program.
The Prime Minister thanked the Secretary of Defense for the close cooperation between Israel and the US in the security sphere and emphasized that he views the continued strengthening of the ties as a matter of utmost importance.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met today, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with Greek Foreign Minister @NikosDendias. 🇮🇱🇬🇷
At the start of the meeting, the Greek Foreign Minister thanked the Prime Minister for Israel's assistance in extinguishing the wildfires that occurred in Greece last month.
The two also discussed the tightening of bilateral relations and increasing strategic cooperation on regional issues, including the Iranian nuclear threat.
PM Bennett: "Later this week, I will be in Washington for a meeting with @POTUS@JoeBiden on Thursday. We are traveling on a reduced format due to COVID, but the timing of the visit is very important because we are at a critical point regarding Iran.
PM Bennett: "Iran is advancing rapidly with uranium enrichment and has already significantly shortened the time that it would take for them to accumulate the material required for a single nuclear bomb.
We inherited a not-so-simple situation. Iran is behaving in a bullying and aggressive manner throughout the region.
WATCH: Statement by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett regarding administering a third dose of the COVID Vaccine to Israeli citizens over the age of 60.
PM: "The battle against COVID is a global effort, and it's vital that we all share information with each other. The expert committee at the Ministry of Health officially approved the recommendation of giving a third booster dose of the COVID vaccine to Israeli citizens over 60.
The decision was based on considerable research and analysis, as well as the rise in risk of the Delta variant wave. Israel has already vaccinated 2,000 immunosuppressed people with a third dose with no severe adverse events.