Middle East Statesmen Congratulate President-elect Biden

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu waited over 12 hours before joining world leaders in congratulating Joe Biden on his victory in the United States presidential elections. On Sunday morning, Netanyahu tweeted that he was looking forward to working with both President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel,” before quickly tweeting his thanks to President Donald Trump. On Saturday night, Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz congratulated the new administration before thanking President Trump for his “bold leadership.” Other Middle Eastern political leaders were quicker – and warmer – with their Twitter accounts, sending President-elect Biden heartfelt greetings and expressing hope for mutually beneficial cooperation. The leaders of the United Arab Emirates, who recently partnered with the Trump Administration in signing historic normalization accords with Israel, along with the chiefs of other Gulf state such as Oman and Qatar, and the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, welcomed the new leader of the free world. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took the opportunity to criticize President Trump for his conduct, tweeting: “The situation in the US & what they themselves say about their elections is a spectacle. … Regardless of the outcome, one thing is absolutely clear, the definite political, civil, & moral decline of the US regime.”