Palestinians said to protest Knesset speaker’s Greece trip

PA says Yuli Edelstein, who lives in a West Bank settlement, should be disqualified from making diplomatic visits

By ToI Staff 14 July 2016, 10:42 pm

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Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein seen during a plenum session in the assembly hall of the Israeli Knesset, on July 15, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Palestinian Authority has reportedly protested Greece’s invitation to Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein to address its parliament, citing the Likud politician’s residence in a West Bank settlement.

Ramallah’s envoy to Greece Marwan Emile Toubassi filed an official complaint with Athens over the visit, which began Wednesday and ends Friday, according to the Walla news website.

The Palestinians said Edelstein’s residency in the West Bank settlement of Neve Daniel should disqualify him from making diplomatic visits.

“Mr. Edelstein lives in an illegal settlement and is an outspoken supporter of settlement building on Palestinian land,” Toubassi wrote, according to Walla. “He is against the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

Edelstein condemned the Palestinian complaint, according to the Maariv website. “I am a great believer in cooperation and do everything possible for the sake of achieving regional stability,” Edelstein said.

“I regret that the Palestinian ambassador, who is supposed to be promoting stability for the Palestinian Authority, specifically decides to violently and rudely attack the spirit of attempts to promote quiet between the two nations.”