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Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, a member of Likud, is considered a central figure in the current election campaign. He is widely respected by the Israeli public for his personal conduct and for the way he expresses his positions on important issues. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tries to include Edelstein in photo opps to burnish his own standing.

Edelstein’s vantage point offers him a unique perspective on the Israeli political stage. His Likud party has improved its standings in recent polls, and the right-wing bloc has taken a slight lead, increasing the probability that Edelstein will be reappointed speaker. The campaign is hitting a fever pitch, with the vote now only three weeks away.

The electioneering was interrupted last Sunday when a terror attack at the Ariel Junction in Samaria claimed two lives. A Palestinian terrorist stabbed IDF staff sergeant Gal Keidan, 19, to death, then stole his rifle and shot several people, including Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, 47, who succumbed to his wounds a day later.

After the funerals and the shivah calls, the debate will once again center on security. The question is not whether the last stage of the election will play out in the shadow of a military escalation. The escalation is already upon us; only the scope and the political impact have yet to be determined.

Palestinian incitement to terror, from Hamas especially, has been a constant din in recent months. Hamas seems hesitant to instigate a clash with Israel in Gaza; this time it will not have access to billions of dollars for reconstruction, as it did after the 2014 Operation Protective Edge. With regard to Judea and Samara, however, Hamas is showing no restraint. There has recently been a significant uptick in attempted attacks. B’chasdei Shamayim, the security establishment has managed to prevent most of them.

The Likud will continue to speak about the relatively quiet decade Israel has enjoyed under its administration. Despite the three former IDF chiefs of staff on the Blue and White list, Netanyahu’s rivals have yet to articulate better solutions than what he has offered. Time is running out in the campaign for Gantz and his cohorts to significantly move the needle on this question.

Yuli Edelstein’s perch as speaker gives him a bird’s-eye view of the various parties vying for seats in the next Knesset, as well as an ear to international opinion, given his ties to other countries’ parliaments. He sat down with Mishpacha to discuss the progress of the campaign and what steps the next government can take to improve Israel’s standing in the world.

The election campaign between Blue and White and the Likud is becoming a war between left and right. Cabinet discussions are being leaked and security secrets are being exposed. For example, we heard last week that the Iranians hacked Benny Gantz’s phone. Is a red line being crossed?

Unfortunately, I absolutely see that a red line is being crossed, more so than in previous elections. In every campaign, statements are made that we could do without. This time, the closeness of the race is driving up the motivation of each side to win. I would rather hear each side talk about its own achievements instead of attacking the other side, but I realize this is unlikely to happen.

The High Court just barred the candidacy of Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, but allowed the far-left Arab party, Balad, to run. How do you think this will play out in the next Knesset?

The High Court’s decision is a terrible mistake, and the public as a whole will pay dearly for it. As a party that rules out Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, Balad has no place in the Knesset. The same goes for anyone who legitimizes causing harm to IDF soldiers. We will continue fighting against hostile anti-Zionist elements also in the 21st Knesset.

On the question of Ben-Ari, I do not think the presence of one MK would turn the whole Knesset into radical right wing. Right now, the situation is well known. The one who has the voters will be able to be elected to Knesset. It is possible that with time, it will be necessary to decide if the Knesset is a place for everyone, or if boundaries need to be set on the left or right, and mostly to make sure that it should be Jewish and democratic, and without racism. I do not suggest deciding on such a process during elections. It should be done with clear heads and with no immediate political interests.

Do you think there is place in the Knesset for people like Dr. Michael Ben-Ari?

As I said, I personally believe that right now, as long as we have not yet decided otherwise, whoever the voters vote for can serve as an MK. I really did not like what happened with the unification of the right-wing parties. Regarding Ben-Ari, when there was talk that he does not belong in Knesset because of his views, remember that we also had MK Hanin Zouabi, who calls Hamas terrorists freedom fighters. So the talk of whether Dr. Michael Ben-Ari is less or more radical seems superfluous to me.

Are you concerned by the rise of the radical right wing in Europe?

I’m certainly concerned by the mounting anti-Semitism around the world, and what distresses me especially is when it happens in democratic nations. We used to think only nondemocratic regimes were afflicted with this, but today the leader of Britain’s Labour Party is anti-Semitic, and leading presidential candidates in France hold anti-Semitic views. The anti-Israel positions on the European left invite anti-Semitism.

We have to work with governments in these countries to ensure they clamp down harshly on these trends. The problem is not only that they have not been able to eradicate anti-Semitism, but also that radical Islam influences some of the voters. It’s politically convenient for parliamentary candidates to seek votes based on their hatred for Israel, which later becomes hatred for Jews.

As Knesset Speaker in Israel, have you had a chance to speak with parliament heads in Europe about this subject?

Certainly, all the time. I’ve had positive talks with parliament heads who are my good friends, who passed serious resolutions on the subject. Then there are those with whom it is more difficult to work. It is almost impossible to explain to someone that if he does not deal with the wave quickly, sooner or later he will be facing waves of hatred in his country. The concept is well known: Anti-Semitism starts with the Jews, but doesn’t finish with them.

With which parliament heads have you spoken?

I had conversations with parliament heads in Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. They passed parliamentary resolutions against anti-Semitism with clear guidelines, primarily addressing anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Israeli positions. At the time I also explained to several parliament heads that while they are constantly condemning the occupation by Israel, and the ostensible abuse of Palestinians, the people in their streets translate it into attacks on shuls. But regretfully, I have not always successfully conveyed the message.

As someone familiar with the Russian regime, how do you view the relationship between Syria and Russia? Israeli intelligence has uncovered Hezbollah units on the Golan border, despite Russian promises. On the other hand, the prime minister is friendly with [Russian president] Putin.

The two are not contradictory. Russia has its interests in the area, which no doubt do not always coincide with ours. At the same time, there is no doubt that the prime minister has forged very friendly ties with the president of Russia.

Before my current role as speaker, I served as a minister in Netanyahu’s government. I traveled with him to Moscow. The relations he cultivated with them are something rare and should be praised. This friendship has prevented lots of problems for us. We would have been in a much worse place regarding Russia if not for the ability of Netanyahu to have a dialogue and relationship with Putin.

We have been working for more than two years in a narrow area with other military entities in Syrian territory. The security coordination between the sides has prevented incidents that could come up every day. We all remember the downing of the Russian plane on Syrian territory.

Russia’s defense minister blamed Israel for that.

It is clear that they also have internal needs, but simply put, all the decision makers on the highest levels know very well who is to blame for that incident.

Let’s go back to elections: The Likud list this time is better than the previous one. In your opinion, is it more serious and dignified?

I think it’s unnecessary to add a word, in my opinion. The list is serious and the most experienced and varied, not because a strategic advisor dictated the list for us, but because the Likud members chose it. And if we envision what will happen after elections, we see the first 30 names on the Likud list, and all of them could assume ministerial positions. That is not the case on the list of Gantz and Lapid, and on other lists competing with us, where political experience is in rather short supply.

The chareidi parties have become more social. Litzman is very involved in health, Gafni is the chairman of the Finance Committee, and he prevented the closure of factories. Have you observed the impact of this change?

I don’t know how to compare to previous situations to see if there was a change or not, but as Knesset Speaker, I see many MKs from chareidi parties who are among the most excellent. They have worked in many areas and served the public who sent them, which is nothing to be embarrassed about. But on the other hand, they were involved in social areas such as health, agriculture, employment, education, and more. It’s very good it is going that way. In the next Knesset we need to preserve this trend.

A final word about the Visegrad Summit [with Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, slated to be held in Jerusalem but now on hold]?

I don’t know if it will convene in Israel, but there are good relations with these countries. There are several forums in Europe where the prime minister has been able to develop ties. I am also closely connected to the heads of these parliaments. There is no doubt that as far as the international situation, we are on the upswing. We need to continue this trend in the future as well, with the assumption that Netanyahu forms the next government.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 753)