President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday that the "vast majority" of Americans are committed to a safe and secure Israel, a possible jab at the progressive wing of his own Democratic Party.
"I think the vast majority of the American public, not just my administration, is completely devoted to Israel's security," Biden said in a bilateral meeting between the leaders in Jerusalem.
Biden's comments come after N12 News in Israel — which conducted a one-on-one interview with the president Wednesday — inquired about the Democrats who have called Israel an "apartheid state" and requested an end to unconditional aid for Israel.
"There are few of them. I think they're wrong. I think they're making a mistake," Biden said. "Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel is a friend, and I think that I make no apologies."
At Thursday's press conference, Biden and Lapid also said they discussed Israel's integration into the Middle East.
"I talked about how important it was from my perspective for Israel to be totally integrated into the region," Biden said.
Their meeting also comes ahead of an expected joint declaration on military cooperation and preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
"We discussed the Iranian threat," Lapid said. "There will be no nuclear Iran. This is not only a threat to Israel, but to the world; and we discussed some other issues we are going to keep to ourselves."
After the Israel portion of his tour, President Biden will head to Saudi Arabia on Friday.
At the conclusion of Thursday's meeting, Lapid called Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia "extremely important to Israel."
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