Politics

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Monday, 17 December 2012), met with US Senator-elect (R-Texas) Ted Cruz. At the start of their meeting, the Prime Minister said: "I'm welcoming you to Israel on your very first visit. You're a friend of Israel; the United States is a close ally of Israel. We have not only common values but face common dangers. One of these dangers is the unfolding events in Syria. We're monitoring very closely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. President Obama has spoken forcefully about this. Israel and the United States have close consultations about this issue and it highlights the dangers of these regimes receiving such weapons and these weapons can even go from there to terrorist organizations. This is a threat to Israel, a threat to America, a threat to others in this region. We treat it accordingly."
US Senator-elect Cruz replied: "I look forward to working to strengthen the already incredibly strong alliance between the United States and Israel. In my view the United States should stand unshakably alongside the Nation of Israel. I thank you personally, I thank your nation for its leadership for democratic values in a very dangerous region of the world, also for your leadership protecting the security of the nation and ultimately of the United States as well, with respect to weapons of mass destruction, whether in Syria or Iran or elsewhere and I look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen that friendship."