<p><img src="images/stories/mikeevans.jpg" border="0" align="right" />The current Prime Minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, and Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, met in 1976. They have shared a friendship that has transcended time and distance ever since. Though they came from dissimilar backgrounds, Romney and Netanyahu were brought together by a new endeavor, the Boston Consulting Group. Each had been approached to act as a corporate advisor for the firm.  <br /> <br />Romney was a recent honors graduate from Harvard with dual degrees in law and business administration; Netanyahu, with an architecture diploma in hand, had just enrolled in the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to pursue a masters’ degree.</p>
<p>How did these two men—one from a middle class Jewish background, the other a member of a wealthy Mormon family—form such a bond of friendship? When the two future politicians first met, neither Netanyahu nor Romney envisioned a relationship that would endure the test of time. Nonetheless, that chance encounter has led to four decades of personal camaraderie. Having gained age and experience, the men are now poised to lead two of the most prominent countries in the world.</p>
<p>Though they were reared under vastly different circumstances, their views are quite similar on a number of issues. According to a quote from Romney in The New York Times, “We can almost speak in shorthand. We share common experiences and have a perspective and underpinning which is similar.” (To read my full take on this unexpected and important friendship, click here.)</p>
<p>There is no doubt that Israel is under attack today. And the decisions being made by current and potential world leaders are critically important. We MUST be diligent in our prayers for the peace of Jerusalem right now more than ever. <br /> </p>