In a tweet, Netanyahu congratulates Biden, praising their ‘warm personal relationship.’
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Version 0 of 1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, a staunch ally of President Trump’s who had a chilly relationship with former President Barack Obama, congratulated Joseph R. Biden Jr. early Sunday, despite Mr. Trump’s insistence that the U.S. election was not over. “Joe, we’ve had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a tweet, which he followed up with one thanking Mr. Trump for his friendship. The Israeli leader’s remarks to the Biden camp joined a flood of best wishes from other heads of state, indicating that the international sphere, including even some of Mr. Trump’s allies, was putting little stock in the president’s hopes that courtroom maneuvering would overturn the results. In some countries where relations with the United States were frayed during the Trump administration, the relief at Mr. Biden’s triumph was almost palpable. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, hailing his country’s traditional friendship with the United States, said, “I’m really looking forward to working together.” President Emmanuel Macron of France said: “We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!” Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany declared, “Our trans-Atlantic friendship is irreplaceable, if we want to overcome the great challenges of our time.” Less clear was China’s reaction. Chinese state-run news media reacted with cautious optimism that Mr. Biden would stabilize the fast-deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington, but many outlets also continued to warn of future tensions between the superpowers and to suggest that American democracy was in decline. President Xi Jinping has not yet commented. Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, encouraged Mr. Biden to “compensate for past mistakes” and return to the 2015 nuclear agreement that Mr. Trump had abandoned, according to state media. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr. Biden and tweeted a separate message to Ms. Harris, the daughter of a woman from India, who will become the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president. “Your success is pathbreaking, and a matter of immense pride not just for your chittis, but also for all Indian-Americans,” Mr. Modi wrote, using a Tamil word for aunts that Ms. Harris used in her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August. Other reaction poured in from Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Mideast. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, who recently won re-election, congratulated Mr. Biden and welcomed his cooperative spirit. “There are many challenges in front of the international community right now,” she said. “The message of unity from Joe Biden positions us well to take those challenges on.” World leaders yet to weigh in include President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. |