Edelstein says Netanyahu’s credibility hurt after Independence Day speech

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s credibility has been hurt after the premier spoke for nearly three times longer than agreed upon at Israel’s official Independence Day ceremony.

In an interview aired Thursday with Channel 10, Edelstein also takes aim at Culture Minister Miri Regev, who organized the ceremony and pushed for Netanyahu’s inclusion.

“I told her I’ve had enough of her nonsense,” Edelstein says, regarding claims he spoke to her threateningly.

The ceremony was at the center of a political squabble between Edelstein and Regev, both members of the ruling Likud party, over Netanyahu’s participation in the ceremony. Edelstein threatened to boycott the event if Netanyahu attended, but an agreement was later reached to include the prime minister.

As part of the agreement, Netanyahu was set to speak for five minutes, but instead spoke for 14, much longer than Edelstein’s own eight-minute-long speech.