(Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Netanyahu phone Trump

“The message that President Trump has given the world is that America stands by Israel,” Netanyahu said. “We have a Purim miracle here.”

U.S. President Donald Trump declared recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights on Thursday, after which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a call to the American leader to thank him.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an official visit to the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem together with Netanyahu and American Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

“This is the eve of Purim, and we have a miracle of Purim,” Netanyahu said in a joint statement with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem Thursday evening.

“President Trump has just made history. I called him. I thanked him on behalf of the people of Israel. He did it again.

“First, he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. embassy here. Then he pulled out of the disastrous Iran treaty and re-imposed sanctions. But now he did something of equal historic importance – he recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and he did so at a time when Iran is trying to use Syria as a platform to attack and destroy Israel.

“And the message that President Trump has given the world is that America stands by Israel.”

‘No Greater Friendship’

“There is no greater friendship than the one between Israel and the United States, and no one represents it better than Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. You and Ambassador Friedman and your delegation are exceptional champions of our alliance,” Netanyahu said.

“We’re celebrating Purim, when 2,500 years ago, other Persians, led by Haman, tried to destroy the Jewish people,” the Israeli leader stated. “They failed then; and today, 2,500 years later, again Persians, led by Khamenei, are trying to destroy the Jewish people and the Jewish state. They’re going to fail again.

“We are deeply grateful for the U.S. support. We’re deeply grateful for the unbelievable and unmatchable support for our security and our right to defend ourselves and everything that you do on behalf of Israel and for the State of Israel in so many forms.”