During the Global Parliamentary Summit today (Wednesday), hosted at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana addressed dozens of parliamentary leaders from around the world. The Iranian, Yemeni, and Palestinian Authority stormed out of the summit when Ohana got up to speak.
Ohana harshly criticized Western recognition of a Palestinian state, saying: “Rewarding Hamas with statehood will not bring stability, partnership, or peace. It will only lead to more bloodshed of Israelis and Jews. If you want to establish what you call a Palestinian state - establish it in London, Paris, in your own countries, which are increasingly resembling the Middle East.”
At the height of his speech, Ohana displayed an iPad and screened footage from a session of the Iranian Parliament held this past June, in which members were seen chanting “Death to Israel, death to America.”
“This is not some underground terrorist cell. This is the official parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran - a full member of this forum - openly calling for the annihilation of two sovereign nations. Sadly, too many remain silent in the face of such threatening rhetoric, just as they did eighty years ago,” Ohana said.
Ohana also condemned Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who moments earlier had presented a photo from the New York Times of a “starving” child in Gaza.
He responded: “This claim is false. The child suffers from cerebral palsy. Even the New York Times admitted that today. But Ghalibaf will use any blood libel the fake news media offers him. Shame on that newspaper. Shame on that chairman. Shame on both of you!”
He continued: “We have learned from our history the cost of ignoring threats of annihilation. Today, Khamenei knows the price of threatening Israel. Since October 7th, Israel has risen from the depths to new heights - reaching control over Iranian skies.”
Addressing the issue of the hostages still held by Hamas, Ohana stated: “As we speak, fifty of our innocent brothers and sisters are held hostage by Hamas. They are starving. They are tortured. They are terrified. And they are alone, in the dark tunnels of Gaza. Not one Gazan has lifted a finger to help bring them home. We will bring them back.”
The volume of Ohana's microphone was lowered as he began to speak about the hostages.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Ohana met with Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Security and Foreign Relations Committee of the UAE. This meeting was part of a series of diplomatic engagements, including talks with the heads of parliament from Chile, Brazil, Belgium, and expected meetings with over 20 more, including Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the UK, Slovakia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Nepal, and Congo.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is an international organization representing the world’s parliaments. It includes 193 member states, among them Iran and numerous Arab countries.
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