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Transcript/ScriptUS-MIDEAST TV
HEADLINE: Biden Begins Mideast Tour with Support for Israel
TEASER: US encouraging Israel to integrate defense capabilities with Arab neighbors to counter Iran
PUBLISHED: 07/13/2022 at 933p
BYLINE: Patsy Widakuswara
CONTRIBUTOR: Anita Powell
DATELINE: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
VIDEOGRAPHER: AP, AFP
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush, Sharon Shahid, DavidJones
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP, ZOOM (WITH LICENSE), original
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:33
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO:))
[[President Joe Biden is in Israel, the first leg of his first trip to the Middle East since taking office. His administration is encouraging Israel to integrate defense capabilities with Arab neighbors to counter a resurgent Iran. White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara has this story from Jerusalem, with reporting by Anita Powell.]]
((NARRATOR))
President Joe Biden launched his first Middle East visit Wednesday in Tel Aviv, with strong assurances to Israel.
((President Joe Biden))
"We've reaffirmed the unshakeable commitment of the United States to Israel's security, including partnering with Israel on the most cutting-edge defense systems in the world.”
((NARRATOR))
Biden was given a tour of those missile defense systems, including the Iron Dome and the Iron Beam, to which the U.S. contributes billions of dollars.
Washington is encouraging Israel to integrate its defense capabilities with its Arab neighbors, sending a message to Iran.
((Radio track: Eytan Gilboa, expert on American-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University))
((Eytan Gilboa, Bar-Ilan University))
“You have one last chance to go back to the 2015 nuclear deal or else the United States will support and sponsor a regional defense system that is designed primarily against you."
((NARRATOR))
In an interview with Israeli TV, Biden said he would use force against Iran as a last resort. While Biden is in the region, Israel is eager to pursue deeper engagements with the Arab world.
((Radio track: Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid))
((Yair Lapid, Israeli Prime Minister))
“We will discuss building a new security and economy architecture with the nations of the Middle East, following the Abraham Accords and the achievements of the Negev Summit. And we will discuss the need to renew a strong global coalition that will stop the Iranian nuclear program."
((NARRATOR))
The Abraham Accords is the Trump-era deal that normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab countries.
((NARRATOR))
While Arab nations deepen engagement with Israel, clashes continue in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
((Radio: Zaha Hassan a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She spoke to VOA via Zoom from Ramallah))
((Zaha Hassan, Carnegie Endowment)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom))
“The Palestinian issue has largely dropped off the map of the Abraham Accords. And the focus is really on developing regional economic ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, at the expense of Palestinian sovereignty.”
((NARRATOR))
While acknowledging it’s unlikely to happen soon, Biden, who will meet Palestinian leaders on Friday, reiterated his support for the two-state solution.
((President Joe Biden))
"That remains, in my view, the best way to ensure the future of equal measure, of freedom, prosperity and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians alike."
((Upsound children’s choir.))
((NARRATOR))
Biden ended his first day with a visit to Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, where he paid respect to the millions of Jews killed in World War II, and met with American Holocaust survivors.
((Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Jerusalem.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline) Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Embargo DateJuly 13, 2022 21:12 EDT
Byline((Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Jerusalem.))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
