Mon Dec 1, 1:35 pm ETJERUSALEM (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert praised the nomination Monday of Hillary Clinton as the next US secretary of state, saying the New York senator would ensure close US-Israeli ties.
"Senator Clinton is a friend of the state of Israel and the Jewish people," Olmert said in a statement.
"I am sure that in her new office she will continue promoting the special bilateral relationship between the two countries," he added.
Named by president-elect Barack Obama to be the top US envoy, Clinton has taken a tough stance in favor of defending Israel, particularly against a possible nuclear threat from Iran.
During the Democratic presidential primaries earlier this year, Clinton threatened to "totally obliterate" Iran if the Islamic Republic was ever "reckless" enough to launch a nuclear attack on Israel.
But the former US first lady also claims to be a friend of the Palestinians. In 1998, she sparked anger on the part of the Israeli right by supporting Palestinians' right to have a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- a position at odds with the Israeli government at the time.