Biden names long-time foreign affairs adviser Antony Blinken as Secretary of State

Mr Blinken, who was raised by Jewish parents in New York, has previously spoken warmly of the US’s relationship with Israel, with former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren calling him a “true friend of Israel”. 

In a recent interview, Mr Blinken claimed Mr Biden’s “career-long support for Israel and its security” had been shaped by “the lesson of the Holocaust”. 

“He believes strongly that a secure Jewish homeland in Israel is the single best guarantee to ensure that never again will the Jewish people be threatened with destruction,” said Mr Blinken. 

According to the Times of Israel, Mr Blinken also said he hoped that as more nations normalize relations with Israel, the peace process with Palestine would advance as well. 

He claimed a two-state solution was the “only way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and Democratic state and also to fulfill the Palestinian right to a state of their own.” 

Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib reacted to the news by tweeting: “So long as he doesn’t suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against Netanyahu’s racist and inhumane policies.” 

Like the incoming president, Mr Blinken – who also served in the Clinton administration – has expressed scepticism about Brexit.  

Appearing on Pod Save The World in 2019, he described the UK’s handling of its exit from the European Union as like “the dog that caught the car and then the car goes into reverse and runs over the dog. It’s a total mess.”