Israeli flags. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
They may be small, but thousands of people around the world apparently believe the State of Israel has a lot of power. The Jewish state been named the 8th most powerful nation in the world—and the most powerful nation in the Middle East—by US News and World Report as part of their 2018 “Best Countries” rankings. The United States and Russia were the top two, ahead of China and several European nations. Israel followed right after Japan, placing ahead of Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contrasted his nation’s size with those superpowers ranked right before them. “Even though we are barely one percent of some of these countries, and have a smaller population than all of them, we are there thanks to the citizens of Israel, thanks to the statesmanship,” said Netanyahu on Monday in comments from his office.
The rankings by US News and World Report—done in conjunction with Y&R’s BAV Group and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania—included a global survey of more than 21,000 people according to the news group’s website. The “Power” category considered attributes such as alliances, military strength and political influence. Israel’s top scoring “Power” category was its military.
Netanyahu highlighted their importance in the world’s affairs by pointing to his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as “close ties” with United States President Donald Trump and other leaders.
Netanyahu wasn’t the only Israeli promoting the country’s ranking. Prime Minister’s Office Spokesman Ofir Gendelman shared his proud moment in a Twitter post. “Compared to other countries, Israel is the 100th country in size of population and 152nd by size of land, but it is the 8th(!) most powerful country in the world due to its military, economic and diplomatic power. A great achievement for a great yet small country. So proud,” tweeted Gendelman.
Netanyahu also took time to thank the Israeli people for meriting the high ranking.
Said the Israeli leader, “In the end, the strength of the State of Israel stems from the talents, commitment, initiatives and faith of the citizens of Israel. So thank you to our marvelous people; it is well represented here.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, July 9, 2018)