Former Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt, who is expected soon to announce his candidacy for the Republican Party’s Presidential nomination, declared Tuesday night that Israel is “an important strategic ally” of the United States and a “lynchpin” in protecting U.S. interests in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
“Events of the past weeks have once again dramatized the importance of maintaining a close and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel,” Laxalt told more than 500 guests attending the annual academic convocation and dinner at the Pierre Hotel of Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. “Indeed, since the fall of Iran, Israel’s importance to the U.S. in terms of Middle Eastern affairs has increased markedly. The U.S. and Israel must stand together or we will fall together,” maintained Laxalt, a close friend of President Reagan. Contending that there are differences between Washington and Jerusalem, Laxalt said, however, that America “must recognize that Israel is not a satellite but an ally; a fiercely dedicated, strategically invaluable, stable ally.”
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