Washington DC [US], July 30 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday (local time) held a series of meetings with prominent US lawmakers, AIPAC leaders and members of the Evangelical community at Blair House in Washington, during his visit to the United States.

According to a series of posts on X shared by the Prime Minister of Israel on his official handle, Netanyahu met separately with Senators Ted Cruz [Senator of Texas], Tim Sheehy, John Fetterman and Tom Cotton at the President's Guest House.

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During his meeting with Montana Senator Tim Sheehy, Netanyahu thanked him for his 'unbelievable support' and for being a 'courageous and clear champion' of the US-Israel alliance and shared values.

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'I want to thank you for your unbelievable support, your courageous and clear championing of our alliance and our values. You've been a wonderful friend, and I want to express the gratitude of the people of Israel, the State of Israel. Thank you,' Netanyahu said.

Sheehy responded that true friends emerge during difficult times. 'Well, it's easy to have friends when it's sunny, and everyone's happy, but when you're under siege, that's when your true friends come out,' he said.

Netanyahu also met Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who reiterated his support for Israel and criticised what he called the Democratic Party's stance towards Israel.

According to the post on X, Fetterman said it was a 'supreme honor' to stand with Israel and called the country 'the miracle that Israel is.' He said he was disappointed with the way his party had behaved and described himself as the 'conscience of the Democratic Party in Congress.'

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'I've always supported things like last year, Midnight Hammer, or what you were confronting in Gaza, and how necessary it was to destroy Hamas and Hezbollah, and also go after the Iranians with their capabilities,' Fetterman said, adding that he considered it 'a just war.'

Netanyahu praised Fetterman's support, saying history would record his 'contribution to truth and justice.'

The Israeli Prime Minister also met Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, thanking him for his 'constant support' and defence of Israel and the US-Israel alliance.

Cotton said Israel had proved to be 'the best ally we've had since Great Britain in World War II' and pledged to continue supporting the alliance.

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'I will always stand up for and support the United States-Israel alliance because it makes both of our nations safer,' Cotton said.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu also met leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), as well as leaders of the Evangelical community.

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The Israeli Prime Minister thanked the Evangelical leaders for their 'steadfast and unwavering support' for Israel and spoke of the shared Judeo-Christian heritage.

'We're descendants from the original Hebrews of the Holy Land. And we are the first part of that Judeo-Christian heritage, which we cherish and which has given the world, the civilization, freedom and faith,' Netanyahu said.

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Calling for a strong response to what he termed a rising tide of antisemitism and anti-Evangelicalism, Netanyahu urged his supporters to 'stand up' and defend their shared values.

'And now it's time to fight, fight, fight, that's it. And I'm very grateful to you for your consistent support, for the constancy of your friendship,' he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (local time) hailed his discussions with US President Donald Trump as one of the finest partnerships of his tenure, centred on blocking a nuclear Iran and securing the Jewish state.

In a video message shared on Instagram, Netanyahu described the bilateral talks as far more than routine diplomacy, pointed to a profound alignment between the two administrations alongside their senior national security teams.

'It was a conversation with full partnership, with mutual support, and with an understanding of the shared goal to ensure that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, as well as other goals,' Netanyahu said, calling it 'one of the best conversations I have ever had with a President of the United States, our friend Donald Trump.' (ANI)