The Israeli president landed in Denmark on Tuesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of a mission to save Danish Jews from Nazi death camps.
In the same day as the ceremony, the leaders met for a working lunch.
Asserting the strength of the countries' friendship, Rivlin said, "The relations between the two countries is very important to me. We already cooperate on a wide range of issues...Denmark plays an active and important role in the international coalition for the stability of the region. It is good to know we have friends like you to stand with us.”
Last June, Denmark halted $8 million in funding to pro-Palestinian NGOs.During the meeting, Rasmussen commented on the situation in Gaza and condemned Hamas for holding the bodies of Israeli soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.
"The world must demand answers from Hamas about our boys who they are keeping prisoner," Rasmussen said. "They, who continually complain about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, are ignoring basic humanitarian principles by holding them hostage.”
The leaders also discussed the rise of antisemitism in Europe.
In response to Rasmussen's initial invitation, Rivlin said, “There is a unique relationship between Israel and Denmark, the foundations of which can be traced to this noble attitude of the Danish people during the Holocaust. Theirs was an act of true grace and a demonstration of humanitarianism at its highest level.”
Rivlin is scheduled to return to Israel tomorrow.