Another great spokesman for Israel

In an earlier post I mentioned how former British PM Tony Blair is a fantastic spokesman for Israel. Well as it turns out there is another former European leader who is a strong supporter and articulate advocate for Israel.

And here is where Israel enters the equation. If the major strategic challengers are a potential nuclear Iran on the one hand and jihadism on the other hand, Israel is vital for us, for our nations and societies. Israel is not only an integral part of the West, for all kind of reasons I don’t need to elaborate here, Israel is today essential for us. Even more now than before, not only because you are in the region where the strategic tectonic plates collide, but because you are one of the few nations willing to pay a price for your survival, a nation that will do whatever it takes to defend itself, a nation where our core democratic values are so ingrained that defending the State of Israel is the same as defending our liberal system.

The words above came from former Spanish PM José María Aznar. Like Blair, he delivered an address to the World Jewish Congress that was recently convened in Jerusalem.

It's a bit of a long speech but it's certainly worth the read. There is also a video link on the site if you prefer that.

Aznar mentions in his speech that he helped form a group of European leaders called the Friends of Israel Initiative. I'm not sure what this group is doing or how successful it is, but it is certainly reassuring that there is someone left in Europe who cares about protecting the modern democratic world from the numerous threats and challenges it faces.

Hat tip: Israel Matzav