Israeli envoy to UN rails at calls for ‘calm from both sides,’ amid Jerusalem unrest

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan lambastes the international community for urging “calm from both sides” given recent unrest in Jerusalem, insisting that Israel should not be placed on the same level as the “bloodthirsty terrorists” clashing with police on the Temple Mount.

“From both sides?! Who are the sides?!” Erdan says during a press conference ahead of the UN Security Council’s monthly meeting to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“On the one side, we have the mobs of bloodthirsty terrorists, calling to murder Jews, carrying weapons into their places of worship, throwing firebombs and rocks from mosque windows, and shooting firecrackers from within their holy sites,” he adds.

“On the other side, we have a law-abiding democracy, which ensures the freedom of worship for all, is committed to protecting holy sites, and shows respect and restraint before using minimal force only when necessary to protect others.”

“And calls are made for calm from both sides? How detached from reality has the international community become?” the envoy laments.

He asserts that Palestinian terror groups have “spun a web of lies” to blame Israel for the recent violence at the Temple Mount.

Erdan then plays footage of Palestinians hurling rocks and shooting fireworks toward Israeli police at the Temple Mount over the past week and a half.