Biden congratulates Israel's Netanyahu after election win

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday congratulated former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his election win and said Washington would watch closely as Netanyahu forms a government, which will likely include religious and far-right parties.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden "reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral partnership and underscored his unwavering support for Israeli security."

"We will continue to closely monitor the government formation process," Jean-Pierre said.

Netanyahu, after the call, wrote on Twitter he told Biden that they can "achieve more peace agreements and deal with the threat of Iranian aggression."

Israel, during Netanyahu's previous term, normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under U.S. sponsorship.

Israel's fifth election in less than four years confirmed a comeback for Netanyahu, now buoyed by smaller ultranationalist and religious parties. His victorious bloc includes lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler and former member of Kach, a Jewish militant group on Israeli and U.S. terrorist watchlists.

While Washington has publicly reserved judgment pending the new Israeli coalition's formation, a State Department spokesperson on Wednesday emphasised the countries' "shared values."

Netanyahu still has to be officially tasked by the Israeli president with forming a government, a process that could take weeks.

(Reporting by Emily Rose and Andrea ShalalEditing by Ari Rabinovitch and Alistair Bell)