Photo by
Yitzhak Harari on 22 January, 2018
Edelstein Welcomes Pence to Knesset, Debunks ‘Outright Lies’ About Israel
By
Andrew Friedman/TPS
• 22 January, 2018
Jerusalem, 22 January, 2018 (TPS) -- Speaker of the Knesset, MK Yuli (Yoel) Edelstein welcomed US Vice President Mike Pence to the Knesset Monday, opening the ceremonial session with an expression of thanks for last month’s recognition by the Trump administration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and a reference to the Biblical prophets, in a nod to Pence’s evangelical Christian beliefs.
“We are building modern Jerusalem more than any other country in the world, and the United States is a true partner in this historic project,” he said.
On the Israel-Palestinian peace process, Edelstein said the international community is easily taken by two outright lies.
“The first lie says that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key to achieving peace in the Middle East – it has succeeded in blinding leaders from all over the world from seeing the true enemy of regional stability and prosperity.
“The second lie is that in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict there is a constant factor : no matter what the situation is, there is a weak side – always right, and a strong side – always guilty. Those who pay tens of millions of shekels to abominable murderers who were captured and imprisoned are responsible for the continuation of the conflict! Anyone who digs underground tunnels underground to kill, kidnap and injure is the instigator of war! Those who consistently distort history, just as Abu Mazen ,Abbas did last week, those who incite to politics and lie as a worldview he is the peace refuser!”
Comparing Pence’s welcome to last week’s attack on the US administration by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who cursed President Trump with a hope that his house be destroyed, Edelstein told the vice president “You will not hear the expression ‘destroy your home’ in this house, but rather a pledge to build and to develop the Land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria.
As for the threats against Israel, he said: “Israel’s one hand will continue to destroy the tunnels, and the other will continue to build houses, settle and develop the land, including Judea and Samaria.
