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Israel Signals Confidence in Its Relationship with Biden
(The Hill) Laura Kelly - Israeli officials are feeling confident about where they stand in Washington nearly one year into the Biden administration. Biden has largely sought consensus with Israel, firmly supporting Israel during its war with Hamas in May, and backing off demands related to the Palestinians, despite vocal opposition among progressives in his party. "We respect the president, we respect the administration," Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said in an interview with The Hill in Washington this week. "There are specific issues in which we don't think the same, but in general, we are working together." Overall, the U.S.-Israel relationship is one of the strongest - if not the strongest - partnerships among American allies. Israel's current government is outspoken in its opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran but has worked more closely with Biden to project a united front, an effort to increase pressure on Iran to rein in its nuclear ambitions. The administration has "coordinated with the Israelis every step of the way," said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who has served as a Middle East negotiator. According to Miller, "Biden learned from Obama, you do not confront the Israelis on the Iranian and the Palestinian issue at the same time. Obama did and it turned out to be a disaster. So you don't do that."