Letter Congratulating U.S. President Reagan on Election Victory
(January 21, 1981)
President Reagan, had made a number of highly friendly
declarations during the election campaign - including one proclaiming
that Israel was not only a friend
but a "force in the Middle East that actually is of benefit to us." Upon his inauguration, Premier
Begin sent the following message to Mr. Reagan.
Dear Mr. President.
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on your
assumption of the great office of President of the United
States. On behalf of the government and the people of Israel, I
wish you success in all your endeavours and undertakings for the welfare
of your great people and country, and in the vital cause of the preservation
of liberty.
We are grateful to you Mr. President, for the important statements
you made concerning Israel and its role.
Your nation and ours are allied in a long-standing, deep-rooted friendship
and a strong community of interests. We cherish the same ideals of democracy
and freedom, the same high esteem for elementary human values.
Israel has proved its love of peace and liberty - not with words alone,
but with deeds and with great sacrifices, striving always to preserve
these essential values in our region and throughout the world. By its
destiny and its historic mission, America is the leading friend of free
nations everywhere that are ready to defend themselves and to resist
totalitarian pressures.
It is in this conviction, Mr. President, that I look forward to close
cooperation between our governments and nations.
May I again, on this great day for you, your family and the entire
American people which has expressed its confidence in your leadership,
wish you, from the bottom of my heart, that under your administration,
your country may move with confidence and assurance, towards the full
realization of the ideals that have made America great.
Yours respectfully and sincerely,
Menachem Begin
Sources: M.F.A
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |