Despite the animosity between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, House Speaker John Boehner declared on Wednesday in Israel that "the bonds between our two nations are strong."
Standing next to Netanyahu shortly before their meeting in Jerusalem, Boehner attempted to soothe over fears that the long-standing friendship between Israel and the United States was in danger of disintegrating,
The Washington Post reported.
"The bonds between the United States and Israel are as strong as ever," said the Ohio Republican congressman in a joint press statement with Netanyahu.
"Our two countries cooperate on many different levels and while we may have political disagreements from time to time, the bonds between our two nations are strong and they're going to continue to be strong."
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His comments were echoed by the Israeli leader, who angered the White House last month when he accepted an invitation from Boehner to speak to a joint session of Congress about the perils of a nuclear deal with Iran.
"One thing remains rock solid: our friendship, our alliance, our partnership," said Netanyahu, who then called for a
"better deal" by world powers to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
Boehner's invitation to Netanyahu led to accusations from Democrats that he was pursuing partisan politics at the expense of the traditionally wide support for Israel on Capitol Hill, the Post said.
Now Boehner's visit to Jerusalem for talks with Netanyahu is likely to be seen as another slap in the face to the Obama administration.
Boehner also congratulated the prime minister on his re-election last month and said that his trip to the Middle East was a stark reminder to him of the dangers the U.S. and Israel are facing, the newspaper reported.
"Regardless of where in the Middle East we've been, the message has been the same: you can't continue to turn your eye away from the threats that face all of us," said the speaker.
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