US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin Tuesday morning, a day after arriving in Israel to begin his service as ambassador.
President Rivlin received Friedman’s credentials, marking the formal beginning of Friedman’s ambassadorship to the Jewish state.
Two other new ambassadors, representing Spain and Thailand, were also received by the president on Tuesday.
The Israeli president welcomed Friedman, his family, and staff to Israel and congratulated him on his new position.
"I'm happy to welcome you and your dear wife to Israel, to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, and I'm welcoming you, not only as the President of Israel, but also as a Jerusalemite - seventh generation."
"I know you have been to Israel many times before. But this time you are an ambassador representing the United States of America, Israel's greatest and most important ally.”
Rivlin added that Israel was looking forward to President Trump’s visit to Israel next week, calling it an important “sign of the unbreakable bond” between the two countries.
“We are looking forward to welcoming President Trump in less than a week. His visit is very important. It is a sign of the unbreakable bond between Israel and the United States. We look forward to working with the new administration to find new ways and think of new ideas of how to move forward - build trust between Israelis and Palestinians." READ MORE
