21 May 2007
Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard has been honored by leading Jewish organizations for his friendship to Israel. At a dinner attended by Israeli ambassador Naftali Tamir, Howard was presented with the Jerusalem Prize, jointly awarded by the State Zionist Council of Victoria, the Zionist Federation of Australia and the World Zionist Organization. The prime minister said he received the award as a "mark of the bonds that exist between our two nations". Howard added that it had "been a long-standing policy of my government to see a two-state solution to the challenges of Israel's relationship with its Arab neighbors". Howard added that engagement with moderate leaders in the Islamic world, such as Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was crucial in winning the fight against terrorism. The Jewish National Fund has named a forest in southern Australia in honor of the prime minister.
