President Herzog: Australia rewarding terror

At the inauguration of the new Knesset Museum in Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog responded that Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state in September would be seen as a reward to terror.

He said: “It would in no way help the Palestinian people or the hostages being brutally held by Hamas in Gaza.”

The new museum is on the site of the Israeli Parliament from 1950 to 1966.

President Herzog said: “I wonder what the Knesset members in those days would have said about the Australian Prime Minister’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state. I have no doubt what Ben-Gurion and Begin, who were on opposite sides of the aisle, would have said together, and I too say here emphatically to the whole world: Israel has always strived, and will always strive, for peace with our neighbours including the Palestinians. When Israel fights cruel terror, it does so for the sake of peace and for the sake of the free world.”

He stressed: “These declarations, by Australia and other countries, are a reward for terror, a prize for the enemies of freedom, liberty, and democracy. This is a grave and dangerous mistake, which will not help a single Palestinian and sadly will not bring back a single hostage.”