US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday night to congratulate him on assuming his new role.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
A State Department statement said Blinken reaffirmed the United States' "unwavering commitment to the US-Israel partnership, Israel's security, and to countering shared threats, including those from Iran."
He also emphasized US support for a negotiated two-state solution as part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Blinken noted that President Joe Biden "looks forward to celebrating our partnership with Israel during his upcoming visit to the Middle East."
The White House announced that Biden would visit the region in April. The tour, originally set for late June, was postponed to mid-July.
In a statement confirming the visit last month, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden would visit the region on July 13-16.
Israel will be the American president's first stop. He is set to arrive on Wednesday, July 13, and meet with top state officials, and express "the United States' iron-clad commitment to Israel's security and prosperity," the statement said.
Biden will then travel to Ramallah, where he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and reiterate his administration's "strong support for a two-state solution, with equal measures of security, freedom, and opportunity for the Palestinian people.
"From there, he will then go on to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, where he'll attend a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. The President appreciates King Salman's leadership and his invitation. He looks forward to this important visit to Saudi Arabia, which has been a strategic partner of the United States for nearly eight decades."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
