Netanyahu meets with AIPAC leaders, hails strong bond with US

(JNS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday stressed the importance of bilateral relations with the United States in a meeting with top officials from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Netanyahu met with AIPAC President Betsy Korn, CEO Howard Kohr and Israel Director Cameron Brown.

The Israeli leader also emphasized that the country's main struggle has been-and remains-against Iran.

Netanyahu earlier this month addressed the AIPAC Political Leadership Forum, focusing on the importance of U.S.-Israel cooperation to curb Tehran's nuclear program.

"The time has come for Israel and the United States, along with other countries, to stand together, and I look forward to discussing this with President [Joe] Biden and his team," said Netanyahu. "Today, more people agree on the issue than ever before."

The prime minister said that people around the globe are now seeing the Iranian regime's internal repression of its citizens. Demonstrations are taking place across the country following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the regime's morality police. Amini was arrested for not wearing her hijab in accordance with government standards.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week that the Iranian nuclear threat would be a "substantial topic of conversation" during his upcoming visit to Israel.

"We'll have the opportunity to engage deeply with the new Israeli government on the threat posed by Iran. And I think we share the same fundamental objectives. And we will work through any differences we have on tactics, the same way that we have over the course of the past two years," Sullivan said.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was in Washington last week for high-level meetings with American officials that focused primarily on the Islamic Republic.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier in January that there was "absolute unanimity" with Israel that Iran must be prevented from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but conceded that there were "tactical differences" between the countries on how to go about doing so.