WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Holocaust survivors who helped build Israel "made our world better," U.S. Gen. David Petraeus said.
"The men and women who walked or were carried out of the death camps, and their descendants, have enriched our world immeasurably in the sciences and in the arts, in literature and in philanthropy," said Petraeus, the keynote speaker at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum commemoration in the Capitol Rotunda on April 15.
"They have made extraordinary contributions in academia, in business and in government. And they have, of course, helped build a nation that stands as one of our great allies. The survivors have, in short, made our country and our world better, leaving lasting achievements wherever they settled."
Petraeus’ speech came just days after the commander of the Central Command, who directs U.S. deployments in the Middle East, said that Israel has been and will be an important strategic ally of the United States.
Petraeus has sought to place in context his U.S. Senate testimony last month that drew some conservative and pro-Israel criticism — and some liberal praise — for linking some U.S. difficulties in the region with perceptions that the United States favors Israel.
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