’Same heart and same values’

The Prime Minister and Benjamin Netanyahu exchange greetings in New York.

During the brief photo op, the two men both said the solution to the Israel-Palestinian impasse lies in a resumption of two-way peace talks, not a United Nations declaration of statehood for Palestine.

"We know that nobody wants this more than our friends in Canada and our friend, the prime minister of Canada," said Netanyahu. "I want to say Stephen, we have a lot in common." The Israeli leader added: "Same heart and same values. And that I say with great appreciation for your stance, for your conviction, for your friendship."

Despite some previous consternation over Lawrence Cannon’s choice of words, Canada still officially opposes Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Embassy magazine looked at that and other issues last year in a fairly extensive review of Harper government policy in regard to Israel.