Edelstein Rebukes Jordanian Counterpart for Praising Har HaBayis Killings

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein delivered a scathing rebuke to his counterpart in the Jordanian parliament for praising the terrorists who murdered two Israel Druze policemen on Friday at Har HaBayis.

Speaking on Monday, Edelstein said, “Yesterday there was a serious parliamentary incident, even a very serious one. While all of us are still hurting from the attack, Jordanian Speaker Atef a-Tarawneh stood on the parliamentary platform and said, ‘The Shahids are watering the pure land.’

“It is unthinkable that such a senior figure in a country with whom we have a peace agreement dares encourage the murder of Israeli citizens,” an angry Edelstein was quoted as saying by Arutz Sheva.

Addressing him, he said, “Mr. a-Tarawneh, the basic thing that was demanded of you, as a public figure and as a human being, was to condemn this abominable crime. You were supposed to be one of the first to say: It is absolutely forbidden to act violently anywhere – and certainly not to desecrate holy places! And if you couldn’t condemn – it would be preferable if you just kept quiet!”

Edelstein added that he meets parliamentary leaders all over the world, with whom he promotes his goal of creating frameworks for regional cooperation, along with the Arab countries. “The kind of statements that were heard yesterday from your mouth distance this goal, and we can only regret that,” he said.