Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana spoke at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Sunday, as the first Knesset Speaker to give a formal address in the Muslim-majority country.
Ohana began his speech with the Arabic greeting "Salaam alaikum" (peace be upon you), acknowledging the host country's Islamic nature.
He added, "My presence here reaffirms that the main conflict today is not between our faiths, and not between our peoples."
The main "battle" of our times is "between radicals and moderates. Those driven by hope and those fueled by hate, those who build bridges and those who burn them," Ohana informed the attendees.
'A traumatized nation'
Ohana said that he comes from "a traumatized nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust."
"All we yearned for was to live peacefully in our ancestral homeland, where the forefathers of our ancient people, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, formed us as a nation," Ohana expanded.
"We extended our hands in peace to all our neighbors, only to receive a multifront war in which, although we were outnumbered, we prevailed," he continued.
Since the establishment of the state, "we have managed not only to survive but to thrive, to build, to invent, and to innovate, for the benefit of the world." and "we have established peace with those who have come to terms with our existence," Ohana said.
Ohana, who was born in Israel to two Jewish-Moroccan parents, added that he was "fortunate to be a minister in the government that signed the Abraham accords, expanding the circle of peace between Israel and additional four Arab and Muslim countries."
"Two years ago, I became the first Speaker of Knesset to visit a Parliament of a Muslim nation, the Kingdom of Morocco. We were on the verge of expanding that circle of peace even further," he continued.
Then came October 7
But this was before Hamas's October 7 Massacre, "the darkest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Ohana commented.
"Innocent Men, women and children were murdered. Families were incinerated. Women brutalized. Civilians dragged into Gaza as living spoils of Hamas Medieval Savagery. This was not resistance. It was sheer evil," he told the crowd.
"Since that day, Israel has been fighting a seven-front war of survival, a war that cannot, and will not, end, until we wipe Hamas off the face of the earth, return all our hostages home, and restore security," he affirmed.
"Terror knows no borders. The likes of the monsters of October 7th have their eyes not only on Jerusalem, but on many of your Capitals," Ohana warned.
"They have learned a dangerous lesson: that the world is sometimes willing to feed the beast, with the hope that they will be eaten last. If this evil will not be stopped at our gates, it will flood yours," his warning continued.
"And yet, the very institutions that claim to carry the banner of justice – the ICC and the ICJ – have betrayed their mandate by choosing to target those that fight terrorism," he commented.
Ohana then described how he hosted a foreign minister from an unspecified European country, who told him that the country is considering recognizing a Palestinian state. "That is a great idea”, I replied, “if you want to reward Hamas for the atrocities of October 7. That's a splendid idea if you want to send a clear message to terror organizations throughout the world – that this is how you get things done”. Ohana commented that the European country did not recognize a Palestinian state.
'From the river to the sea'
Ohana then showed the crowd a map that he alleged was recovered from a kindergarten in the Gaza Strip.
On this map was an engravement that read, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Ohana commented that this represents "A Palestine cleansed of Jews. A Judenrein Palestine."
"That kind of indoctrination made October 7 possible. This is not the peace of co-existence we believed in. Peace must be attained by standing strong, together, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all people of faith, against the forces of evil led today by the Ayatullah regime of Iran. We must think out of the box, in order to reach genuine solutions." Ohana commented.
'Be on the right side of history'
Ohana warned the crows that they have "a choice: To be on the right side of history, or on the wrong side. To be on the side of those who cherish peace and coexistence, or those who bring forth death and devastation."
"Israel will prevail. "And when we do, we will expand the circle of peace – guided by the vision of the Abraham Accords and the hope that brought me here today," he affirmed.
"Let this be the hour when the free world stands as one and proclaims: The future will not belong to terror, but to hope. That the light of peace and justice will reach even the darkest corners of the world stage," he concluded.
Dan Illouz faced boycott
During a separate address to the IPU, Israeli MK Dan Illouz faced a boycott by members of parliaments from Arab countries, who "simply stood up and left the hall" in what Illouz called "a shameful act…a perfect illustration of hypocrisy."
כשאומרים להם את האמת בפרצוף – הם בורחים. רגע אחרי שהתחלתי את נאומי בכינוס איגוד הפרלמנטים הבין-לאומי (IPU), נציגי המדינות הערביות פשוט קמו ועזבו את האולם. זה לא היה רק אקט מביש – זו הייתה המחשה מושלמת לצביעות. הם לא באמת רוצים שלום. הם רוצים דבר אחד בלבד: לשלול את זכות הקיום של… pic.twitter.com/1VUG6K8NDC
— דן אילוז – Dan Illouz (@dillouz) April 6, 2025
Illouz, on his personal social media, stated that this boycott showed that "They do not really want peace. They want only one thing: to deny the Jewish state the right to exist in the Middle East."
"For this very reason – I fought against any international attempt to recognize a Palestinian state. Because a state that was born on the bodies of 1,200 brutally murdered Israelis is not a state of peace. It is a state built on terror, and will harm not only Israel – but the entire free world," he added on X/Twitter.
"I am here to say in the clearest possible terms: a Palestinian state will not be established on the ruins of a massacre," he affirmed in his social media post.
What is the IPU?
According to their website, "the IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. What began in 1889 as a small group of parliamentarians, dedicated to promoting peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue, has since grown into a truly global organization with 181 Members and 15 Associate Members."
According to IPU, "the General Debate will focus on the overall theme of parliamentary action for social development and justice and provide a platform for delegates to deliberate, exchange views, and galvanize parliamentary action in this area. The Assembly will adopt resolutions on the emergency item and on the subject items taken up by the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security entitled The role of parliaments in advancing a two-State solution in Palestine and by the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development entitled Parliamentary strategies to mitigate the long-lasting impact of conflicts, including armed conflicts, on sustainable development."
