Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday in Jerusalem with a Republican U.S. Senate delegation led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides also participated in the meeting.
Netanyahu called McConnell a “true friend” of Israel, adding that he was deeply appreciated and that he and his colleagues were among the Jewish state’s strongest supporters.
The premier met Wednesday in Jerusalem with visiting members of Congress—first with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), then a “bipartisan Congressional delegation” and subsequently with a Democratic Congressional delegation, per a release from the prime minister’s office.
Netanyahu “emphasized the importance of the bipartisan ties between Israel and the U.S. and thanked his visitors for their support for Israel.”
The Israeli and American leaders discussed “regional developments, particularly Iran and its proxies in the Middle East, as well as the great contribution of the Abraham Accords to regional stability and possibilities for their expansion,” according to Netanyahu’s office.
Writing on Twitter, Cotton said he enjoyed meeting with Netanyahu. “We discussed the security and economic interests America shares with one of our most important partners, Israel,” he wrote. The senator also posted photos at the Western Wall, where he prayed and said it was an honor to visit.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu met separately with U.S. Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), stressing to them the importance of the bilateral relationship and that America is Jerusalem’s “greatest friend.”
Netanyahu told the lawmakers that despite any disagreements between Jerusalem and Washington, such meetings were an expression of the strength of ongoing bipartisan ties with Israel.
