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Rome - Premier Silvio Berlusconi likes to cast himself as an international statesman, touting his warm personal ties with Russia's Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President George W. Bush and his efforts to raise Italy's profile on the world stage.

Less noticed is his friendship with Israel, reversing a decades-long pro-Arab tilt by Italian governments and making Italy perhaps the Jewish state's best friend in Europe.

It's a special relationship that has yielded recognition: When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sets out Tuesday on his first official visit to Europe since his election in March, Italy will be his first stop before he heads to France.

For Israel the stance of Berlusconi's Italy offers a hospitable window into the EU - where Israeli governments of the right, as Netanyahu's, have historically found little cheer. Berlusconi, for his part, gains a better defined international profile and perhaps some points in the United States, which has been far more understanding of Israel than most European nations over the years.

Last month, Israel's hardline foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has raised diplomatic eyebrows by his anti-Arab statements, made Rome his first stop for his European tour as well.

The billionaire premier, notorious for his headline-making gaffes, was honored by a Jewish group a few years ago with its "distinguished statesman award," despite protests from three Nobel Prize winners.

Berlusconi's pro-Israel stance stems in part from his staunch pro-Americanism. It may also be a way to legitimize political allies who come from neo-fascist backgrounds, using Israel as a sign of their transformation into mainstream conservatism.

The Italian leader has backed pro-Israel rallies and has supported Israel's right to defend itself during its recent armed conflict with Hamas in Gaza - while other European leaders tended to view the hundreds of fatalities Israel caused in its retaliation for rocket attacks as disproportional.

The Netanyahu trip comes less than two weeks after the Israeli leader finally gave qualified endorsement to the concept of a Palestinian state. He will likely be sounding out Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to see if they are on board with the caveats he placed on such a state, drawing sharp Palestinian criticism, such as the demand that it be demilitarized and recognize Israel as a 'Jewish state.'

In his June 14 speech Netanyahu also said the Palestinians must give up any notion of refugees who left what is now Israel - or their millions of descendants - resettling in their former homes.

He will be meeting Thursday in Paris with U.S. President Barack Obama's special Middle East peace envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell.

Sandro De Bernardin, a Foreign Ministry official and former Italian ambassador to Israel, said the fact that Netanyahu is beginning his European tour in Rome attests to the good relations between the two countries.

"It is meaningful that Netanyahu begins his European tour in Italy," he said. "It underlines that the Israeli government looks at the role that Italy can have in a special way and also (underlines) the quality and substance of our bilateral relations."

Israeli media gave extensive and favorable coverage of Italy's decision to join the United States, Israel and a few other EU countries in boycotting a U.N. conference on racism in Geneva in April that was marred by anti-Semitic rhetoric.

"He fully supports Israel's security requirements, he supports Israel's eventual entry into the EU as a full member - he said so during a visit here," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor of Berlusconi.

In an interview with Italian state TV RAI broadcast Monday evening, Netanyahu said bilateral relations were "excellent" and called Berlusconi "a great friend of Israel, committed to promoting peace and security."

Berlusconi manages to juggle contrasting diplomatic initiatives, while trying to accommodate all sides.

He recently hosted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who in the past has been accused of supporting anti-Israeli terrorism. Gadhafi praised his "dear friend" Berlusconi and the Italian, in turn, said he had a "true and profound friendship" with the Libyan, who has ruled unchallenged for some four decades.

For decades Italian governments and most major political parties pursued close relations with the Islamic world to assure energy supplies as well as out of general sympathy for the Palestinians.

In contrast, "Berlusconi has deep bonds of friendship with the United States and Israel," said Germano Dottori, a foreign affairs specialist in Rome. "He comes from the tradition of the Republican Party," he said, referring to a tiny but influential pro-Israel party in Italy that served in a long line of coalition governments.

In 2003, the Jewish rights group the Anti-Defamation League honored Berlusconi with its statesman award, despite condemnation by Nobel prize-winning economists Franco Modigliani, Paul Samuelson and Robert Solow.

They said it was inappropriate to honor Berlusconi because of his claim that fascist dictator Benito Mussolini "never killed anyone. Mussolini used to send people on vacation in internal exile." More than 7,000 Jews were deported under Mussolini, 5,910 of whom were killed.

The Anti-Defamation League was honoring Berlusconi because of his support for Israel and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Berlusconi's allies claim that he should receive the Nobel Prize for his purported work using his friendship with Putin to help end the conflict between Russia and Georgia last summer.