President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday evening stressed Israel's commitment to its special relationship with the United States, in comments at the Fourth of July celebration at the home of the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro in Herzliya.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Shapiro also spoke at the celebration.
“We are proud to share with the United States to our core values. Values of liberalism, equality, and of course democracy,” said Rivlin.
“The United States is our strongest and most important friend and ally. We are committed and will remain committed to that special relationship,” the President emphasized in his remarks and added: “I want to thank the entire American people, Democrats and Republicans alike, for years of financial, diplomatic, and military support, and for their help in sharing the burden of the security of the State of Israel. I hope that an agreement on this important issue will be achieved as soon as possible.”
The President referred to the terrorist attacks in Kiryat Arba and Netanya earlier on Thursday and said, “Unfortunately, our shared values are now under attack. Terror is terror, whether it happens in Brussels or Orlando, in Istanbul or as we saw today the terrible attack in Kiryat Arba, and only a short while ago in Netanya. My prayers and the prayers of the people of Israel are with the family of Hallel-Yaffa, and I wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.”
Rivlin concluded by saying, “The American people face big decisions, but we know that any decision which will be made will not change the strong friendship between Israel and the United States. We look forward to continue to work together for a better and safer future.”