Netanyahu thanks Bulgaria's PM for sticking up for Israel at EU

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov, who he thanks for sticking up for Israel at the European Union.

“I want to thank you for your consistent defense of Israel in international forums, including in the EU,” Netanyahu tells Borissov at the Prime Minister’s Office. “It’s time that all of Europe’s leaders understood that Israel is the one that defends the interests, our common interests in the Middle East, both in terms of security and in many, many other ways.”

Netanyahu expresses his gratitude to the premier for his efforts to combat anti-Semitism and terrorism.

“We appreciate your efforts against anti-Semitism, and our common battle against radical Islam and the terrorism it espouses that claimed a tragic cost of lives, Israelis and Bulgarians, on the soil of Bulgaria,” he says.

Five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver were killed in a 2012 bombing at the Black Sea resort of Burgas. Both Israel and Bulgaria have blamed the attack on the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.