Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel's ties with the United States at an event marking the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Embassy's relocation to Jerusalem, Tuesday.
Netanyahu applauded U.S. President Donald Trump for his "historic" decision, while criticizing the international community for not recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman also hailed Trump's decision to move the embassy, while dismissing any connection between border violence in the Gaza Strip and the inauguration of the embassy in Jerusalem last year.
"Of course there was violence that day in Gaza, but there had been violence a month before that in Gaza, and it had nothing to do with the opening of the embassy. It had to do with relations between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas," Friedman said.
"We have done something that hasn't been [seen] for a really long time. We have created a new shrine in the ancient city of Jerusalem, and we're extremely proud of it," he said.
Netanyahu extolled the U.S. envoy, saying, "Israel has had no better friend in Jerusalem than David Friedman" and the Jewish state has "no better friend in the White House than Donald J. Trump."
The Israeli premier said that "a year after the U.S. and Guatemala's recognition [of Jerusalem as Israel's capital], the countries of the world are all coming to Jerusalem."
While the ceremony was underway, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to say that the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem "stands as a proud reminder of our strong relationship with Israel and of the importance of keeping a promise and standing for the truth."
