Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with US Vice President Mike Pence at the Holocaust Museum in Warsaw Thursday. The two leaders are in Warsaw to participate in an international conference on security issues in the Middle East.
Pence told Netanyahu that Israel is a "cherished ally of the US and said that President Donald Trump is "grateful" for the prime minister's leadership and commitment to the US-Israel alliance.
“It’s very humbling for me to be here with you, in this very special place on this sacred ground, to hear a prayer sung and remember the heroes of the Warsaw ghetto,” he said.
Pence reaffirmed the "unbreakable" bond between the two nations.
Netanyahu said that “deeply meaningful” that he and Pence met at the site of the Warsaw ghetto.
“It was merely some 75 years ago that the Jewish people were absolutely defenseless. We were slaughtered by the millions here, by the Nazis and their collaborators. And they could do nothing,” he said.
“I think it’s significant that in this hour of despair, right here on this ground, young Jewish heroes, with literally their last ounce of strength stood against thousands of Nazi troops. They said, if we must die, let us die as free men and women, let us save the honor of the Jewish people. Little did they know that they were actually in many ways symbolizing the rebirth of the Jewish people, the rebirth of the Jewish state, which was soon to come, and the rebirth of the Jewish army, that protects now the Jewish future.”
“No one came there to help them,” Netanyahu continued. “Today we have built our own capacity to defend ourselves, but we have a great friend. And the greatest friend of all is the United States of America. There is no alliance like ours.”
The prime minister expressed his appreciation for the Trump Administration's pro-Israel stance, including its defense of Israel at the United Nations and its relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem.
“This conference, which brought together 60 foreign ministers, and Arab foreign ministers, with an Israeli prime minister for the first time, to stand together against Iran in such clarity, such unity, I think this is something that we deeply appreciate. We have no better friends,” he said.
When asked about the Trump Administration's peace plan, which is expected to be released following Israel's elections in April, Netanyahu said: "I look forward to receiving the plan ... once it is presented. I have to say that I know that the Trump administration seeks to ensure the security of Israel for generations, and even though I always say, based on the experience that we endured here, Israel must always be able defend itself by itself against any threat, it’s comforting to know that we have such a strong ally in the United States of America."