Blog : Ragazou

By SHELDON KIRSHNER, Staff Reporter (CJN)

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to be in Canada on May 31. During his working visit, he will meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper and senior Canadian officials.

 

Netanyahu will be accompanied by two of his ministers, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein.

 

As the first Israeli prime minister to set foot in Canada since Yitzhak Rabin's trip in 1994, Netanyahu is expected to pay visits to Ottawa and Toronto.

 

?It is a pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to Canada,? Harper said in a statement. ?Our countries have a close and enduring friendship, which we are working to further strengthen.?

 

He added: ?There is tremendous respect in Canada for the courage, resilience and determination of Israel and its people.?

 

Harper and Netanyahu spoke on the phone on April 30 to discuss the visit, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of Canada-Israel diplomatic relations

 

Harper has forged close ties with Israel since becoming prime minister in 2006, having been supportive of Israel during the Second Lebanon War and its invasion of the Gaza Strip in 2009.

 

Netanyahu and his entourage will fly to Canada from Paris, the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

 

 The OECD has invited Israel to be a member and will officially accept Israel into its membership later this month when Netanyahu is in Paris.

 

David Weinberg, director of the Canada-Israel Committee's Israel office, said that Netanyahu's planned visit to Canada is ?a reflection of the extraordinarily close ties between Canada and Israel on a wide range of political issues and bilateral matters,? as well as ?an acknowledgment of Prime Minister Harper's principled leadership and friendship for Israel.?