Twelve Jewish parliamentarians from around the world held a series of meetings with senior Israeli officials and top MKs at the Knesset on Monday, as part of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians meeting, operating under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress.
The delegates, led by ICJP Chairman Congressman Eliot Engel, were briefed in the various sessions by MK Michael Oren, opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog, MK Yair Lapid and Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett. They also held talks with senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office.
MK Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the US, told the parliamentarians, “I thought I knew this country very well until I got into Knesset, and then I realized I don’t know it at all.” He briefed the parliamentarians on a range of issues, including the recent wave of knife attacks in Israel, the European Union’s decision to label products made in West Bank settlements, and responded to security questions posed by the delegates.
Regarding the labeling of settlement goods, Oren said: “Labeling is anti-Semitic. There are hundreds of territorial disputes in the world. Only Israeli products are being labeled.”
MK Isaac Herzog focused his remarks on the political divides preventing a solution to the Middle East conflict, telling the parliamentarians: I am here to say that we need to separate from the Palestinians.”
“This conflict is not manageable,” he added. “It has to be resolved – but right now, if you look at the mood of the people, it’s at its worst ever… You can’t disregard the notion of the two-state solution. If that’s over, you’ll be moving to the one-state solution whether you like it or not… the reality is impossible… you can’t govern another people.
MK Yair Lapid touched on the issue of boycotts which he called “a strategic threat” and discussed the anti-Israel sentiment felt on college campuses, saying: “They’ve been using liberal rhetoric on campuses, telling people they’re for the two-state solution, doing everything to promote peace, but Israel is in the way.”
“Support for Israel has become age based. If you’re 40 or more you’ll support Israel because of things you remember, if you’re under 40 you are anti-Israel because it has become a civil rights issue,” he added.
MK Naftali Bennett focused his talk on his work in the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs, saying: “I’m not worried about Israel. I’m worried about Diaspora Jews. That’s what keeps me up at night." If he were Israeli prime minister, he would invest heartily in Diaspora Jewry, Bennett said. “The Jewish nation, the Jewish state, needs to contribute to partnership,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold hosted the delegates for a formal dinner at the King David Hotel at the end of the working day.
In his address to the delegates, Gold touched on the American-Israeli differences that emerged over the Iran deal, adding that the rift was healing well: “At the end of the day, I think we overcome our differences, and the alliance is much stronger than the debate that went on about Iran.”
Former Canadian Justice Minister and outgoing ICJP Deputy Chairman Irwin Cotler was presented with a gift of appreciation by Congressman Engel for his years of service on the council.
The delegates represented at the World Jewish Congress/ICJP event hailed from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, and the United States.
