Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and other Israeli leaders participated in American Independence Day celebrations at US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro’s residence in Herzliya on Wednesday, expressing congratulations and stressing the close and “unbreakable” bond between the two countries. (Photo via United With Israel)
“This is a great day because on the 4th of July, all Israelis unite with our American brothers and sisters. It’s our celebration too,” stated Netanyahu. “That’s because the history of our two countries is remarkably intertwined. The Founding Fathers of America were inspired by the Bible, and specifically by the Book of Exodus, by the dream of building freedom in a new Promised Land. And as you stand in the Chamber of the American Congress, you see right across you the image of one man—Moses—with a quote from the Bible.”
The Israeli leader continued to extol the heritage and values that both nations share, noting “the vision of justice and the vision of peace espoused by the Prophets of Israel” that motivated American leaders. “But just as our heritage inspired America, America inspired us. If you read the Founding Fathers of Zionism, you see how powerful and inspirational the American Revolution was—the ideas of freedom and liberty.”
“On behalf of all Israelis, I wish all Americans a happy 4th of July. God bless Israel and God bless the United States of America,” the Israeli premier concluded.
“Our relationship is first and foremost an emotional one,” President Reuven Rivlin told the crowd. “Growing up in the years after the Second World War, when the world was divided between East and West and defined in terms of good versus evil, the ‘Stars and Stripes’ represented, in our eyes, freedom and progress—the American Dream, as we saw it. For the first time in centuries, perhaps for the first time in history, we, the Jewish nation, and later on the State of Israel, felt we had a true friend standing beside us.”
http://unitedwithisrael.org/netanyahu-lauds-close-israel-us-bond-on-eve-of-american-independence-day/