Israel's real 'Staunchest ally' Canada Pledges 'Unwavering' Support for Israel.

Israel's real 'Staunchest ally' Canada Pledges 'Unwavering' Support for Israel.(Naharnet).

Canada's foreign minister on Wednesday reaffirmed his country's ironclad support for Israel and said the realities of the Middle East left the Jewish state no choice but to defend itself.

Meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and on his first visit to Israel, Rob Nicholson's comments were welcomed by his host at a time of growing pressure on Netanyahu and his rightwing government to curb West Bank settlement and renew talks with the Palestinians.

"We believe we have no better friend than Canada," Netanyahu said as he met Nicholson in Jerusalem.

"We think that this is a refreshing wind in an increasingly hostile environment."

Netanyahu's relations with the White House, Israel's traditional staunch ally, have been going through a rocky patch.

Nicholson voiced no reservations as he stood beside Netanyahu on Wednesday.

"I am here to demonstrate, emphatically, Canada’s unwavering support for Israel," he said.

"We understand that Israel’s neighborhood is as dangerous as Canada’s is peaceful, and so we know that Israel’s leadership has no choice but to take at all times, every step necessary to protect itself from the forces that are openly committed to its destruction."

Nicholson is one of a string of foreign officials making their way to Israel and the Palestinian territories since the inauguration last month of Netanyahu's new government, one of the most rightwing in Israeli history.

"We've long refused to be neutral in supporting Israel's right to defend itself against violent extremists," Nicholson said.

"Israel is on the frontline of free and democratic nations the world over," he added.

"Any who turn their back on Israel, or turn a blind eye to the nature of Israel's enemies, do so in the long run at their own peril."