Rivlin welcomes Rwandan leader, says both nations ‘understand horrors of genocide’

President Reuven Rivlin welcome visiting Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and says the shared history of genocide connects the Jewish and Rwandan people.

“We are two nations that understand the horror of genocide, and we must show what humanity can achieve with cooperation and understanding,” Rivlin tells Kagame. “The phrase ‘never again’ is not just a lesson for the Jewish People, it is a lesson for the whole world. We are a member of the family of nations, and we have mutual responsibility to one another.”

The president goes on to thank Kagame for his country’s past support of Israel at the United Nations, and welcomes Rwanda’s upcoming role on the UN Human Rights Council.

“This is a body which is always against Israel,” Rivlin says, “so we welcome all those who are prepared to speak for us.”

Echoing an emphatically pro-Israel speech Kagame delivered at AIPAC earlier this year, Rivlin says that “Israel is, without question, a friend of Rwanda.”