US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commemorated the Washington terror victims with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at a press conference in Jerusalem on Monday morning.
“Today, to our enemies, I say once again: Israel will never surrender to terrorism,” Sa’ar stated.
Noem’s visit to Israel follows the killing of two Israeli embassy staff, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, in Washington on Wednesday night.
Sa’ar thanked Noem for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s “intensive investigation” as well as her “longstanding support for Israel.” He also thanked US President Donald Trump for showing “great commitment to fighting terrorism and antisemitism.”
“Israel has no greater friend and ally than the United States. We thank you for your support,” Sa’ar stated.
“The US also has no partner more effective than Israel. No other country in the world has achieved more impressive results in the fight against those who are also the declared enemies of the US,” Sa’ar added.
Noem provides Netanyahu with Iran update
On Sunday, Noem met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s Office, where she expressed unwavering support for Netanyahu and the State of Israel.
The two also discussed the United States’ negotiations with Iran.
“President Trump specifically sent me here to have a conversation with the prime minister about how those negotiations are going and how important it is that we stay united and let this process play out,” Noem said during an interview with Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
“It was a very candid conversation.”
Iranian and US delegations wrapped up a fifth round of talks in Rome last week, and signs of some limited progress emerged.
Additionally, the PMO shared that Noem expressed great appreciation for Netanyahu’s policy of building a fence along the Egyptian border and for his conduct of the Israel-Hamas War.
Noem landed in Israel on Sunday following the murder of Israeli embassy employees in Washington, per the instructions of Trump, The Jerusalem Post previously reported.
She visited the Western Wall, where she was welcomed by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Places, and the two read a chapter of Psalms and a special prayer in memory of the murdered diplomats.
At the end of the visit, she left a note in the stones of the Western Wall and wrote in the visitors’ book: “Israel is the chosen people, and the United States stands by you.”
The Sunday meeting with Netanyahu also featured participation from the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman; his Foreign Policy Advisor, Dr. Ophir Falk; the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, Dr. Omer Dostri; and the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.