Netanyahu thanks Trump on third anniversary of Jerusalem recognition

• Author: LAHAV HARKOV
• Date: 06 December 2020
• Published date: 06 December 2020
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Netanyahu and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman hung a copy of the proclamation in the Prime Minister's Office, next to former US president Harry Truman's 1948 recognition of the nascent State of Israel.

"These two historic proclamations will never be forgotten by the Jewish people and the Jewish state. They will be cherished for generations," Netanyahu said. "We are deeply grateful for all you did for Jerusalem and Israel, bringing peace and taking the US-Israel alliance to unprecedented heights."

Netanyahu further thanked Trump for recognizing both Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and that Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria are not illegal per se, as well as for Trump's peace plan that Netanyahu said is "realistic… acknowledged those rights [in the West Bank] and maintains Israel's ability to defend itself."

The prime minister also commended Trump's work in bringing about the Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, which he said "ushered in a period of peace in the Middle East, which is dramatically changing."

In addition, Netanyahu praised Trump's maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

Friedman said that Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital "sent a clear message to the world that the US stands unflinchingly...