Jerusalem:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday spoke with Joe Biden for the first time since the US president came to office, the premier’s media adviser said.

“The conversation was very warm and friendly and continued for approximately one hour,” according to a statement by Netanyahu’s media adviser.

“The two leaders noted their longstanding personal connection,” and said they would collaborate to continue strengthening the steadfast alliance between Israel and the US, the statement added.

The Israeli premier and US president “discussed the future advancement of the peace accords, the Iranian threat and regional challenges, and agreed to continue their dialogue”.

Biden spoke with Netanyahu on November 17, two weeks after the presidential election in which he beat president Donald Trump, a strong supporter of the right-wing Israeli prime minister.

In his first major policy speech, Biden did not even mention Israel as he spoke of his efforts to solidify US alliances.

Danny Danon, the head of the global wing of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, recently tweeted a list of Biden’s conversations with leaders and asked, “Might it now be time to call the leader of Israel, the closest ally of the US?”

In Wednesday’s phone call, “Biden also commended Netanyahu on his leadership in the fight against the coronavirus,” the Israeli premier’s media adviser added.

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