Saudi Gazette report

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke on Friday with his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett over the telephone, making it the first conversation between the two leaders since the latter took office.

During the call, Johnson congratulated Bennett on the formation of a new government and reaffirm the strength of the relationship between the United Kingdom and Israel, according to a statement from the UK government.

The leaders stressed their commitment to deepening cooperation on defense and security, as well as in technology and trade.

They discussed the shared fight against coronavirus and welcomed the collaboration between our two countries throughout the pandemic, including exchanges between medical experts and data-sharing on vaccines.

Johnson raised the importance of working together to tackle climate change and hoped that Bennett would be able to attend the UK-hosted COP26 summit in November.

Meanwhile, the Israeli PM highlighted his coalition’s diversity including an Arab faction for the first time during his conversation with the British counterpart, according to the Israeli statement on the call.

Bennett said his new government is cooperating well together. There was no immediate comment on the conversation from the UK.