Israel expressed deep satisfaction with US President Barack Obama's address to the General Assembly Wednesday, DPA reported.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren said it was a "badge of honour" for Israel that Washington stood with Israel on the issue of the Palestinian bid to be recognized as a UN member state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Obama for the speech during what Oren described as a "warm," one-hour face-to-face meeting with Obama on the sidelines of the New York gathering.
Netanyahu thanked Obama for standing "shoulder to shoulder" with Israel on the UN issue and for insisting on the principle of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, with no short-cuts via the UN, Oren told Israel's Channel 10 evening news.
He said the speech expressed the "very deep friendship" of the United States with Israel.
Netanyahu was unable to attend Obama's address because he was meeting the president of Colombia, as part of Israel's efforts to convince the Security Council member to vote against the Palestinian membership request. When he was handed a transcript of Obama's speech, he skipped straight to the part concerning Israel and the Palestinians, and nodded in satisfaction, Oren said.
The online version of Israel's biggest-selling daily, Yediot Ahronot, called it "the most pro-Israeli speech" by Obama of his presidency.