(JTA) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a likely candidate for the GOP nomination for president, said his recent visit to Israel strengthened his belief that the United States must view Israel as a true ally.

Walker spoke about his recent trip to Israel Saturday night during the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner.

“It is time to send a message around the world that we stand with our allies,” he said.

Walker said his helicopter tour of the area, from Israel’s border with Syria to the Sea of Galilee and then south to the border with the Gaza Strip, made him realize the fear Israelis live with on a daily basis, the Washington Post reported.

“Remember for a moment how many of us—the young people don’t remember this probably so well—but those of us as adults remember what we felt like on the day after Sept. 11,” Walker said. “That’s how they feel almost every day. That’s what they feel like because of what they’re dealing with.”

Walker confirmed that he met during his trip earlier this month with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Walker did not take media on his Israel trip, calling it a “listening tour.”