Skip to main content

UK prime minister stands before broken Knesset

David Cameron's speech in the Knesset was lost within the battle at the plenum for three major bills, with the opposition boycotting the hastened debates and the public not understanding the significant issues at play.
British Prime Minister David Cameron (C) shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (R) looks on, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem March 12, 2014. Cameron denounced Iran's government as a "despotic regime" in a speech to Israel's parliament on Wednesday and accused Tehran of making "despicable" efforts to arm Palestinian militants. REUTERS/Jim Hollander/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3GSKY
Read in 

Though this week’s Knesset debates occurred in the shadow of the opposition’s boycott of the coalition, one particular image will remain engraved in the collective memory. It is the image of British Prime Minister David Cameron standing at the Knesset podium. It is hard to tell if he was embarrassed or amused as he looked out over the ruins of what should have been a festive session in his honor.

Cameron received a detailed explanation before he arrived. He was told that his visit coincided with one of the most tense and turbulent days in Israel’s parliamentary history. Nevertheless, he still looked lost when he was forced to hear Chairman of the Labor Party and leader of the opposition Isaac Herzog dragging him into the intricacies of our local political squabbles, boasting to him that the coalition is tense and nervous because of him, and addressing him directly to inform him that Ministers Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman are “people who run one-man factions like a dictatorship.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.