Shimon Peres hailed Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday as "an outstanding friend to Israel."
Christie said he brought a delegation of New Jersey business and religious leaders to Israel to look for opportunities to expand commercial ties and strengthen the already "extraordinarily strong" bond between the Jewish state and his own.
The governor said, "New Jersey stands with Israel in all its endeavors."
Christie also visited Israel's national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, and was to tour Teva Pharmaceuticals, a global generics giant, later on Tuesday.
New Jersey is home to many of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies.
