U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday sent his newly inaugurated counterpart Isaac Herzog a letter of congratulations, highlighting their "common interests in advancing peace, stability, and security for Israel and those across the Middle East."
"I know that you are deeply committed to Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security alongside its neighbors," Biden wrote.
"I am confident that in the years ahead you will make valuable contributions to promoting coexistence and tolerance within Israeli society and to championing a message of hope about the future," he said in the letter.
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Isaac Herzog and Joe Biden during their respective terms as opposition leader and U.S. vice president
(Photo: Twitter/Isaac Herzog)
Biden also congratulated the former center-left politician after his election last month.
"On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend my warm congratulations to Isaac Herzog on his election to serve as the 11th President of the State of Israel," the White House said in a statement.
"Throughout his career, President-elect Herzog has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to strengthening Israel’s security, advancing dialogue, and building bridges across the global Jewish community. I am confident that under his presidency, the partnership between Israel and the United States will continue to grow and deepen."
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The letter sent by U.S. President Joe Biden to his newly elected Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog, July 11, 2021
(Photo: Twitter)
Herzog, the former Jewish Agency chair, ex-leader of the Labor party and the son of a previous president, was sworn in at the Knesset last week.
In his election last month, he beat his right-wing rival Miriam Peretz by 87 votes to 26 in a secret ballot of Knesset members. Herzog personally invited Peretz to the ceremony.
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Isaac Herzog is sworn in as the president of the State of Israel, July 7, 2021
(Photo: AP)
The inauguration ceremony brought to an end Reuven Rivlin's seven-year term in office.
Rivlin's final foreign trip as president was to the United States, where he was welcomed by Biden at the White House and also met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
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Reuven Rivlin embraces President Isaac Herzog at their official handover at the president's residence in Jerusalem, July 7, 2021
(Photo: Reuters)
The scion of a prominent Zionist family, Herzog holds office for a single seven-year term. His father, Chaim Herzog, served as president in the 1980s after a term as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, and his grandfather, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, was the country's first chief rabbi.
His uncle, Abba Eban, served as foreign minister and ambassador to the United Nations and United States.