Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, spoke in the Knesset yesterday. In his speech he repeated Palestinians claims, without verifying them. Because they moved him. The only other incident that Schulz mentioned in his speech 'moved him', was his visit to Yad Vashem. No comparison, of course.
Sadly, he didn't bother meeting with Jewish terror victims, the still-living Jews who suffer from antisemitism today. So we don't know how much that would have moved him.
Schulz's prepared remarks as appear on the EU Parliament site:
One of the questions these young people asked me which I found most moving – although I could not check the exact figures – was this: how can it be that an Israeli is allowed to use 70 litres of water per day, but a Palestinian only 17?
According to Deutsche Welle, in his actual speech he turned to the Knesset members and asked them: "I haven't checked the data. I'm asking you if this is correct."
Because, really, your speech to a foreign parliament is the best time to start fact-checking. And doesn't it sound reasonable to you that Jews would prevent Arabs from drinking water? It did to Schulz.
But Schulz wasn't finished:
(...)
The blockade of the Gaza Strip is your response to attacks on Israeli civilians and I can understand that. But it is stifling all economic development and driving people to despair - despair which in turn is being exploited by extremists. The blockade may in fact undermine, rather than strengthen, Israel's security.
Now, can you imagine a speech where Schulz would have said: "The Palestinian wish for a state, I can understand that. But it poses a direct threat to Israel's existence."
Neither can I.
For those who care about facts, Elder of Ziyon explains the water issue.
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