Israeli delegation storms out of int’l summit amid vicious attacks, a ‘bad joke’

A Knesset delegation, facing an onslaught of abuse, stormed out of an international summit after the conference approved a series of anti-Israel proposals.

The Knesset delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 137th Assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia, walked out of Wednesday`s plenary session after the organization approved a series of anti-Israel proposals, including calls for the release of convicted murderers Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat.

Israel was censured for holding in administrative detention members of the Palestinian National Council representing Hamas. There was no mention of the innocent Israeli civilians being held captive in Gaza by Hamas, which last month refused a request by the International Red Cross to visit them.

The Knesset delegation included Members of Knesset Nachman Shai (Zionist Camp), Sharren Haskel (Likud), Yoseph Yonah (Zionist Camp), Haim Jelin (Yesh Atid) and Knesset Secretary Yardena Meller-Horowitz.

Shai, who headed the delegation, said during the meeting, “I naively thought the organization, like the entire world, is united in combating terror, since terror endangers every country everywhere and at all times. You want to release convicted murderers from prison? I thought you want to fight terror and not assist it, but reality is different.”

He added that Israel is committed to promoting peace with its neighbors, including the Palestinians. However, he stressed, “it will in no way come at the expense of a relentless fight against terror.”

‘This is a Bad Joke’

After a number of delegations, including those from Syria, Pakistan, Jordan, Kuwait and the Palestinian Authority, slammed the Jewish state, the Israeli delegation responded – amid noisy heckling and abuse.

“I think this is a bad joke,” Haskel stated. “Countries like Syria and Iran are hypocritical. They teach Israel what morality is and what human rights are. This organization is supposed to support and strengthen democracy, but in the Palestinian Authority elections have not taken place for over 10 years and anyone under the age of 29 has never voted. What kind of elected representatives are these?”

Marzouq Al-Ghanim, head of the Kuwaiti delegation who had been trying to bar Israel from participating in the conference, ranted against the Israelis, saying the delegation “represents the most dangerous form of terrorism, state terrorism” – to enthusiastic applause.

Israelis Called ‘Child Killers’

Calling the Jewish state a “brutal occupier,” he demanded: “Get out of the hall now if you have an atom of dignity. You occupier, child killers.”

The Israelis did leave, but not because Ghanim told them to do so. Rather, they were protesting the anti-Israel resolutions.

After the meeting, the delegation relayed its objection to outgoing IPU President Saber Chowdhury of Bangladesh, saying that he had today seriously damaged the neutral position of the organization by permitting Arab states to constantly lambast and interrupt the Israeli speakers, and that he himself had not allotted the Knesset delegation the same amount of time given to the others.

By: Adina Katz, World Israel News 

HamasHaskelInter-Parliamentary UnionIsraeli captives in GazaKuwaitNachman ShaiPalestinian prisonersPalestinian terror