In Israel this week, Sen. Marco Rubio called Jerusalem the country’s capital.
Rubio (R-Fla.), who is considered an early front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, was on a visit to Israel and Jordan conducted in his official capacities as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Foreign Relations Committee. He left for Israel on Feb. 16. It is his first visit to Jordan and second to Israel.
On Feb. 20, Rubio told Israeli President Shimon Peres that Jerusalem is “of course the capital of your country,” taking a stand on an explosive issue.
Rubio, a favorite of his party’s conservative wing, also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“America’s friendship with Israel is a truly special one, and we must continue to do all we can to support this beacon of democracy, religious freedom and free enterprise in the heart of an unstable region,” Rubio said in a Feb. 16 statement on his website.
His wife, Jeanette, accompanied him on the trip. — jta & ap