In a scathing address just before his political ouster, veteran MK Yuli Edelstein, a former Prisoner of Zion, passionately championed Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria as the only “just Zionist response” to current threats, condemning past and present attempts to force him into compromising his core beliefs.
In a dramatic and highly charged Knesset plenum discussion, MK Yuli Edelstein, the now-ousted chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, delivered a fiery speech underscoring his unyielding commitment to principles despite immense political pressure. His impassioned address came just before the Likud party voted to remove him from his powerful role, reportedly over his refusal to back a controversial ultra-Orthodox conscription bill.
Edelstein drew a direct parallel between the current political maneuvering and his past experiences during the contentious Disengagement from Gaza. “Back then, as now, there were those who sought to remove me from my position,” he declared, adding, “Back then, as now, they offered me cities and hills in exchange for compromising my truth.” He adamantly stressed that throughout his decades in public life, he has remained “steadfast in his beliefs and loyal to the principles he has always fought for.”
Addressing the heart of the current debate on applying sovereignty, Edelstein powerfully asserted, “Especially in these times—when our best sons and daughters are on the battlefield, and fifty of our brothers remain in captivity and distress – there is no more fitting, clear, or just Zionist response than the application of sovereignty over parts of our historic homeland in Judea and Samaria.” This statement positions the sovereignty bid not merely as a political move, but as a moral and strategic imperative born from the current conflict.
The former Prisoner of Zion also spoke movingly of the profound personal cost of his ideological conviction. “From my early days in the Communist Soviet Union, I have paid a price for my beliefs – for my fight for the Land of Israel, the People of Israel, and the Torah of Israel,” he recounted, emphasizing a lifetime dedicated to his core tenets.
In a poignant closing, Edelstein reflected on the singular, enduring mission that has driven his illustrious public career: “One goal has accompanied me from then until now – to secure the future of our children in our homeland.” His removal from a key committee chairmanship, following this defiant speech, highlights the deep ideological fault lines within Israeli politics and the high stakes involved in the ongoing debate over Judea and Samaria.
