Israeli president slams Ben Gvir's 'insulting' comment, says Biden a 'great friend' of Israel

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Ben Gvir's post on X criticising US President Joe Biden "irresponsible and insulting", emphasising that the American leader is "a great friend of the State of Israel".

Speaking at a state ceremony commemorating the Allies's victory over Nazi Germany, Herzog also addressed Biden's decision to withhold arms transfers to Israel should an invasion of Rafah take place.

"In the context of this morning’s news, it is important for me to say that even when there are disagreements and moments of disappointment between friends and allies, the disputes should be resolved in a certain way, and it is beholden upon all of us to avoid baseless, irresponsible and insulting statements and tweets that harm the national security and the interests of the State of Israel," he said.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had previously posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "Hamas [loves] Biden" as an apparent reaction to the threat of withholding weapons.