Former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said that he is doubtful that the Biden administration will directly engage with Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir and Religious Zionist chairman Betzalel Smotrich.

Speaking to The Algemeiner, Shapiro said: “I highly doubt that the administration will work with Ben-Gvir, certainly, and likely Smotrich as well. They are advocates of racist and bigoted policies, they engage in anti-Arab incitement. And that’s inconsistent with President Biden’s strong defense of global democratic values which have always been shared Israeli values as well.”

However, Shapiro believes that that the US and Israel will continue to have a strong relationship.

“President Biden and Netanyahu know each other very well and they’ll certainly be able to work together, and the United States should always work with the Israeli government on mutual interests,” he said. “And Biden’s commitment to Israeli security and his respect for its democracy cannot be called into question.”

US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides called Netanyahu on Thursday to congratulate him. ” I congratulated him on his victory and told him I look forward to working together to maintain the unbreakable bond,” Nides wrote on Twitter afterward.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)