Portman Statement on Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Press Release

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former U.S. Trade Representative, issued the following statement following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

"This past year has been very turbulent for the Middle East, and my conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu strengthened my belief that we need to remain vigilant in our support of our critical ally.

"We discussed the threat that Iran poses to Israel and the United States, and ways our two nations can work together to enhance our mutual security.

"As the crisis in Syria grows and the humanitarian tragedy becomes more clear, I appreciated Prime Minister Netanyahu's perspective on the changes and volatility in the region.

"I also enjoyed hearing from Prime Minister Netanyahu on the state of the Israeli economy, which grew 4.8 percent in 2011. It was instructive to learn how the Israeli government and the private sector are working hard to develop newly discovered natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, as we are doing in Ohio with shale oil and gas."

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