US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have issued a joint statement following their meeting in Washington, DC, Al Jazeera reports.

The two men discussed “deepening economic cooperation, fostering innovation, and strengthening financial and trade ties” between the US and Israel, according to the statement.

“This is a critical time to shape a new strategic economic future for both countries, reinforcing American global leadership and Israel’s role as a key economic partner,” the statement said.

It added that the two countries will continue “collaboration and deeper coordination across economic, technological, and financial policy areas”.

The statement, Al Jazeera noted, did not refer to Israel’s threats to cut off Palestinian banks from their Israeli correspondent banks — an issue the Biden administration had repeatedly publicly raised concerns about.