The former defense minister and two-time prime minister stressed what he called Israel’s greatest resource — its people — and the salvation of a civilization during an hour-long meeting with a delegation of New Jersey business and religious leaders.
"There is no army in the world that can conquer science," Peres said before closing the meeting to the press. "There is no police force that can check the power of science. There is no custom that can block what is happening in the brain of a scientist."
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In 1994, Gov. Christie Whitman signed a law requiring Holocaust education in public schools — a mandate Christie said he supports.
"I don’t think it’s even a close call," he said. "In a state that has as many Jewish citizens as ours does, to make everybody understand the nature of their experience and the perspective they bring to world affairs helps you form your own opinions."
Learning about the extermination of six million Jews helped cement his political perspective.
"I think that the Israelis have made legitimate attempts to bring peace to the situation with the Palestinians, especially over the past 25 years," Christie said. "In that competition of ideas, I think primacy has to be given to Israel given their experience. That doesn’t mean you don’t listen to Palestinians."
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"One of the big reasons I came (here) was to reach out to the business community in Israel," Christie said after spending much of an evening reception in Tel Aviv in a private room with staff and Israeli businessmen. "Because of our cultural similarities, because of our approaches, which I think are very similar, we should be looking to exploit that relationship even further."
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Last year, Israel was New Jersey’s 14th largest trading partner, exporting about $740 million worth of goods like computers, aircraft parts and electronic equipment. More than 70 Israeli companies have a presence in New Jersey, including Teva, which already has 300 employees in Woodcliff Lake and Fairfield.
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"We calculate that the potential economic development impact of this trip could be upwards of $281 million in capital investment and the creation and/or retention of as many as 660 jobs in New Jersey," she said in an e-mail message.
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