Netanyahu, who put measures on at least a temporary halt in the face of a general strike, told the summit that the alliance with the United States was “unshakable” and called Biden a “friend of 40 years.”
Addressing foreign critics, Netanyahu promised that Israel “will always remain a proud, strong and vibrant democracy at the heart of the Middle East, a proud, strong and vibrant democracy of freedom and shared prosperity,” and said he would Want a compromise that protects civil liberties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hailed by the United States as a bulwark against China, praised the virtues of democracy, days after the opposition chief was expelled from parliament for defaming the right-wing leader.
Modi called India the “mother of democracy” – a title more often taken by Greece – as he called on leaders to exercise power through consultation, pointing to the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.
“Democracy is not just a structure; It is also a soul.
Biden declined to invite several leaders over concerns over his record, including Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces re-election in May after two decades in power, and Hungary, alone among EU members. Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of the United States, is an outspoken critic of liberal values. ,
Close US partners that failed to make the cut include Bangladesh, Singapore and Thailand.
China – identified by Washington as the sole long-term adversary of the US-led liberal international order – and Russia both denounced the summit as hypocritical.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the summit was “exacerbating the confrontation” and would “incite division in the name of democracy.”
