With Yair Lapid taking over from Naftali Bennett as Israel’s prime minister, retiring U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., welcomed the new leader.
Deutch, the chairman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, teamed up with U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, the top Republican on the subcommittee, to issue a joint statement at the end of last week.
“We send our best wishes to Yair Lapid as he is sworn in as prime minister of the state of Israel,” the congressmen said. “We look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Lapid to continue strengthening the relationship between the United States and Israel, an enduring relationship based on shared values that enjoys deep bipartisan support across America.”
First elected to Congress in a special election in 2010, Deutch announced he will not run for reelection this year to take over as the CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
