Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett slammed Martin Schulz, chairman of the European Parliament, demanding that he “retract two false statements he made before the Knesset (Israeli parliament) this afternoon.”
Following Chairman of the European Parliament’s speech at the Knesset podium, Naftali Bennett, Israel’s minister of the economy and chair of the Jewish Home party, demanded an apology, saying that he is willing to hear “criticism from friends,” but not “lies.”
“Palestinians are entitled to 17 liters of water compared to Israelis who are entitled to 70 liters of water per day,” Schulz asserted.
Also, Schulz claimed, “Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza.”
Bennett, who left in protest during Schulz’s address together with the other Jewish Home parliamentarians, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to request clarification immediately for the sake of Israel’s national honor.”
“We cannot forgive this insult on the national dignity of the State of Israel,” Bennett declared, adding that Schulz’s statement was “baseless.”
“As if we didn’t leave Gaza, we didn’t expel 8,000 residents, we didn’t demolish towns, and we have not received fire on Israeli residents from thousands of missiles,” Bennett continued, in reference to the destruction in 2005 of Gush Katif, a thriving agricultural community of more than 8,000 Jews who were forced to leave their homes. In exchange, tens of thousands of missiles have been fired at southern Israel from Gaza, Bennett said on his Facebook page.
“I’m definitely willing to hear criticism from friends. However, I will not remain silent when faced with blatant lies…. We will not restrain ourselves when we hear lies….
“Unfortunately, no one bothered to protest or to correct him. I will not accept a false moralizing narrative against Israel in our parliament, in our Knesset. Certainly not in German.”
Netanyahu, the Jerusalem Post reports, said Schulz “suffers from the same selective listening as many Europeans” in repeating the Palestinian claim that he heard in Ramallah the previous day.
“Schulz admitted that he didn’t check if what he said is true, but he still blamed us. People accept any attack on Israel without checking it. They plug their ears,” Netanyahu continued. “Water isn’t a good topic for attacking Israel.”
In response to Schulz’s allegations, Water Authority spokesman Uri Schor said, “The figures are wrong,” according to the Post.
Mark Langfan, a New York-based attorney and pro-Israel activist, has done more than 20 years of research proving, with the use of three-dimensional maps, not only that the Palestinian claims are false, but the exact opposite is true.
According to Langfan, Palestinians are stealing water from Israel, although Israel provides plenty. His findings were confirmed last year on a fact sheet published by the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria.
“Israel has been fulfilling its water obligations to the Palestinian Authority, but the Palestinians continuously breach the agreement,” Langfan told The Jewish Tribune, a Canadian weekly.
Author: Atara Beck, Staff Writer, United with Israel
Date: Feb. 12, 2014