Obama in Israel for first trip as president
By The Associated Press
This article was published March 20, 2013 at 6:49 a.m.
PHOTO BY AP PHOTO/PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS
President Barack Obama introduces Secretary of State John Kerry, left, to Israeli President Shimon Peres, during a meeting at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, Israel, Wednesday, March 20, 2013.
TEL AVIV, Israel — President Barack Obama is declaring common cause with Israel, highlighting the bonds between the United States and its Mideast ally. He says he has made Israel the first stop of the first trip of his second term to restate his commitment to Israel's security.
Obama arrived Wednesday in Tel Aviv, joking to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was "getting away from Congress."
Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed Obama, declaring that "A world without America's leadership, without her moral voice, would be a darker world. A world without your friendship would invite aggression against Israel."
Obama called the U.S. Israel's "strongest ally and your greatest friend."
In a veiled reference to tensions and regime changes in the region, he added: "The winds of change bring both promise and peril."
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