Pence: President worked on Middle East peace from day 1; calls Israel 'most cherished ally’

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told All Israel News that President Donald Trump has been committed to Middle East peace since the first day he took office.

"He noted that the president’s first trip overseas was to Saudi Arabia where he not only spoke with, but met with the leaders of 50 Muslim countries," Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg reported from the White House. "Only after that did the president go to Jerusalem to meet with the leadership there. So the vice president was noting that this administration has a priority of working on the Arab-Israeli peace initiative right from the beginning."

Trump decided from the beginning of his administration that he was going to "do everything he can to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance and try to advance peace."

"He acknowledged that there are may critics who have said there is nothing that this administration can do to make peace, but today was evidence that progress is being made. And he underscored the president’s statement earlier today that there are more Arab nations that are preparing to make peace.

"During our conversation, the vice president said this was an emotional day for him. He said that Israel is America’s most cherished ally."

The vice president noted that Israel enjoys strong bipartisan support since the foundation of the state when Democrat President Harry Truman recognized the State of Israel "within minutes" of the declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.

"This president, he said, is continuing in that tradition of strengthening and protecting Israel and promoting peace," Rosenberg reported.

Pence shared about being an Evangelical Christian who has been been praying for the peace of Jerusalem over the years.

Rosenberg shared how important this day was for him as well as an Israeli citizen, as well as a Jewish evangelical

"I told him how emotional it was for me to see this historic day and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak about how he lost his brother - Yoni Netanyahu who was leading a commando team to rescue Israeli hostages in Entebbe, Uganda in an otherwise very successful and historic rescue mission of Israelis from radical terrorists."

"The prime minister knows the price of war and the importance of peace," Rosenberg said.

The full interview with the vice president on this topic will be aired later and some of this interview will be shown at an event on Sept. 19 in Rapid City, South Dakota.