Ambassador Canaj attended the event organized in the framework of the Independence Day tradition, by President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday 15th April, where were hosted the foreign diplomatic corps at his Jerusalem residence, this time with some new guests: the freshly appointed envoys to Israel of the United Arab Emirates and Morocco and Kosova, recently normalized relations with Israel. Rivlin, whose term as president is ending this summer, told those in attendance that “on this Independence Day, we are also celebrating the new spirit of peace spreading throughout the Middle East.”
President Rivlin added: “Relations between the peoples are growing ever stronger, demonstrating that the way to peace is through cooperation between people and cooperation that benefits both sides, rather than attacks on Israel in international institutions. It is my hope and prayer that the widening circle of peace will also bring closer our Palestinian neighbors,” he said. Rivlin told to the assembled diplomats that he was “particularly happy that we can celebrate here together, despite the pandemic.”
He said he had always found “great friendship and appreciation for Israel” during his travels around the world as president, “for its vibrant democracy, its cultural diversity and its innovation.” He concluded that international cooperation was now more important than ever, as the world attempts to end the coronavirus pandemic with global vaccination drives.