Blinken vows US support for Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. will not shrink from its unwavering support for Israel despite stark differences with Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu and concerns the Biden administration may have about members of his incoming right-wing government.

Blinken said Sunday that the United States will remain a stalwart friend of Israel even as it pursues goals that Netanyahu has opposed, including a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a restoration of the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Blinken also said that the Biden administration would engage with Netanyahu's government based on its policies and not on personalities. But he also warned that the U.S. would object to policies that marginalize the Palestinians.

Blinken's comments came at the annual conference of J Street, a pro-Israel group that has distinguished itself from the much larger and older American Israel Public Affairs Committee by advancing positions supported by the Democratic party.