Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein says that Israel’s parliament was first choice for the venue of Donald Trump’s main speech while in the country but was ruled out due to a fear of interruptions by MKs.
Addressing a near-empty plenary, Edelstein laments the poor attendance saying, “Just imagine what this building could have looked like now.”
Instead, Trump delivered his speech at the Israel Museum.
“The topic of speaking at the Knesset came up as the first option during discussion ahead of the trip,” he says. “But Trump’s team was warned that a speech without interruptions could not be guaranteed, and it was taken off the agenda.”
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein oversees a plenum session in March 2013. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
According to Edelstein, “due to six or seven MKs for whom 20 seconds’ fame is more important to them than the status of the Knesset, the plenary is empty today.”
A spokesman for Edelstein said he was not referring to anyone in particular.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
