US VP Speech in Knesset Sparks Clash Among Lawmakers (VIDEO)

January 23, 2018 Blog, News, Videos
Arab lawmakers were immediately accosted and dragged out of the hall as their fellow lawmakers clapped and jeered. (Photo: Social Media)

US Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech before the Israeli Knesset that sparked outrage and resulted in many Arab MP’s being forced out of the session by security.

The speech, which was rife with biblical references, stressed the “divine inception” of the Israeli state. Quoting Old Testament text, the US vice president said that God promised Israel that its descendants would be ‘as numerous as the stars in the sky.’

He went further, claiming a biblical birthright thrilling some MP’s while enraging others:

“Israel is like a tree that has grown deep roots in the soil of your forefathers, yet as it grows, it reaches ever closer to the heavens.  And today and every day, the Jewish State of Israel, and all the Jewish people, bear witness to God’s faithfulness, as well as your own.

“It was the faith of the Jewish people that gathered the scattered fragments of a people and made them whole again; that took the language of the Bible and the landscape of the Psalms and made them live again.  And it was faith that rebuilt the ruins of Jerusalem and made them strong again.

“The miracle of Israel is an inspiration to the world.  And the United States of America is proud to stand with Israel and her people, as allies and cherished friends.

“And so we will ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem,’ that ‘those who love you be secure,’ that ‘there be peace within your walls, and security in your citadels.’

“With an unshakeable bond between our people, and our shared commitment to freedom, I say from my heart:  May God bless the Jewish people, may God bless the State of Israel and all who call these lands their home, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.”

The speech sparked outrage among Arab MPs who held up placards that said, “Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine”. The Arab lawmakers were immediately accosted and dragged out of the hall as their fellow lawmakers clapped and jeered.

Footage shows the moment the lawmakers from the Arab Joint List, the country’s third-largest party, stood up to protest the speech. Security guards immediately got involved, resulting in a scuffle between them and the politicians. The lawmakers were ultimately ejected from the building.

It comes less than two months after US President Donald Trump formally acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move which was hailed by the Israelis but criticized by other countries across the globe.

Pence told Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu that the US embassy will be moved to Jerusalem in 2019, a move that has sparked international outrage and condemnation of the US declaration of Jerusalem being the capital of Israel. The UN responded to the US move with a statement that declared the US actions have “no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded “.

(PC, Social Media)

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