Ohana Spoke at Diplomats' Conference: Arab States Walked Out
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana spoke at the World Parliamentary Leaders Conference, in response delegations from Iran, the Palestinian Authority and Yemen abandoned the hall.
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International Antisemitism: Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana spoke at the World Parliamentary Leaders Conference (IPU) held today (Wednesday) at the UN building, in response delegations from Iran, the Palestinian Authority and Yemen abandoned the hall during his speech. Ohana attacked the policy of recognizing a Palestinian state and presented a video from the Iranian parliament calling for the destruction of Israel and the United States.
In a forceful speech delivered before dozens of parliamentary leaders from around the world, Ohana addressed the statements of the French President and British Prime Minister about recognizing a Palestinian state, saying: "Granting a reward to Hamas in the form of recognizing a Palestinian state will not bring stability or peace, but more bloodshed of Israelis and Jews. If you want to establish a Palestinian state – establish it in London or Paris, in your countries, which are becoming increasingly similar to the Middle East."
At the climax of the speech, Ohana pulled out an iPad and screened a video from June, in which Iranian parliament members chant "Death to Israel, Death to America" after passing a law to sever ties with the International Atomic Energy Agency. "This is Iran's official parliament, a full member of the IPU, calling for the destruction of two sovereign states," Ohana said, adding: "Many remain silent in the face of this rhetoric, as happened eighty years ago. Israel has learned from history the price of ignoring threats of annihilation."
Ohana also attacked the chairman of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who presented a picture from the "New York Times" of a "starving" Gazan child. "This is a false claim. The child is sick with cerebral palsy, and the 'New York Times' admitted this. Ghalibaf will use any blood libel that fake news gives him. A disgrace to the newspaper and the chairman," Ohana said.
While Ohana spoke about the hostages, the microphone was lowered
During his remarks about the hostages, Ohana's microphone was lowered, but he continued and emphasized: "Fifty of our sisters and brothers are being held hostage, starved and tortured in Gaza's tunnels. Not a single Gazan lifted a finger to help. We will bring them home." He also noted that "since October 7, Israel has risen from the abyss and achieved control over Iran's skies."
Earlier, Ohana met with the chairman of the UAE's Security and Foreign Relations Committee, Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, as part of a marathon of policy meetings with parliamentary leaders from Chile, Brazil, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Britain, Slovakia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Ghana, Nepal and Congo.