While relationships between the United States and Israel are at their lowest ebb in years and Britain has sent the Israel ambassador packing, President Ricardo Martinelli has repeated that his administrationwill maintain its strong support of Israel.
The government position will remain independent from any outside influence he said.
"We will say what we think, not what they want us to say," the president said.

During a tour of Israel earlier this month, Martinelli criticized the conclusions of a report from the United Nations on alleged war crimes that took place in the military offensive in Gaza between December 2008 and January 2009.
Inside Israel, two senior army officers were named as having fired phosphorous shells at civilian targets, including a UN school.