President Reagan praised “the strong position taken by the government of Israel against surrendering to terrorism,” and said, in a letter to Premier Shimon Peres, made public yesterday, that “the ties between Israel and the United States have been strengthened by the ordeal” of the 39 American hostages released in Beirut Sunday.
Reagan’s letter thanked Peres “for the assistance and cooperation extended by you and your government during the TWA hostage crisis. The safe return of our innocent hostages … is a signal to the nations of the world that refusing to give in to terrorism and to terrorists’ demands is the best and indeed the only way to combat and ultimately eliminate this scourge.” Reagan added, “The strong position taken by the government of Israel against surrendering to terrorism has earned the respect and admiration of all those … who prize… freedom and justice.”
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