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Gates: U.S.-Israel Partnership as Important as Ever

[American Forces Press Service] Gerry J. Gilmore - In an age of Middle Eastern-sourced terrorism with global reach that is threatening Americans and Israelis alike, "it is even more important to maintain and bolster our partnership," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs' annual Henry Jackson Award dinner in Washington. Iran is no friend of the U.S. or Israel, and its desire for nuclear capability and apparent ambition to dominate the region are causing "great anxiety and instability" across the Middle East, Gates pointed out. Only "a united front of nations" can exert enough pressure to coerce Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions, Gates said. Gates said Israel is a mature democracy that, like the U.S., has "no taste for war, no taste for the destruction and devastation that it creates." But America and Israel are prepared to fight to defend themselves against any threats, Gates maintained. "If we are not left in peace, if our security is challenged, we also know that there may be times when we have to defend in no uncertain terms our interests and our liberties," he said.
2007-10-17 01:00:00
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