During an appearance Thursday on Newsmax, Danny Danon, a former U.N. ambassador from Israel, praised Joe Lieberman, the former U.S. senator and vice presidential candidate and staunch supporter of Israel who died Wednesday at age 82.
"Joe Lieberman was a close personal friend and a great friend of the state of Israel, and he was always brave to stand for his principals even if it meant to go against party lines, against the leadership. When [Barack] Obama was the president, he stood behind his values," Danon, a senior member of Israel's Knesset, told "The Chris Salcedo Show."
Danon said he met with Lieberman and his family a few months ago when Lieberman, who was the first Jewish person to run on a U.S. major-party ticket as Democrat Al Gore's vice-presidential candidate in 2000, visited Israel.
"When he was traveling in Israel with his family in the old city of Hebron, we had very lovely discussions about our connection to the city and to the land," Danon said.
Danon said it's important to note that with what is going on with Israel being attacked on all sides by proxies of Iran, such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, Lieberman never wavered in his stance against Iran.
"When we see what's happening in Israel, when we see what's happening in Iran, remember that you have to stand behind your ideas," Danon said. "Sen. Lieberman took a very strong position against Iran. And until the last day that he was active, he would always speak about the threat of Iran.
"I think we have to remember that legacy of him."
Danon said Lieberman, who became fiercely independent after leaving the Democratic Party in 2006, represented the opposite of the loud voices among Democrats today who are siding with Palestinians against Israel.
"He was always calm, always looking to speak with everybody and to find the middle ground," Danon said. "He was able during his amazing career to achieve great things for the United States of America and for the special bond between Israel and the U.S."
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