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Like US President Barack Obama’s keynote address during his visit here in March, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s speech to the Knesset on Monday paid tribute to Israel’s values of freedom and democracy. Like French President Francois Hollande, who addressed the Knesset in November, Harper also hailed Israel’s spirit and resilience. What distinguished Harper’s comments was that the “honey” of his praise was not then tempered by the “vinegar” of his criticism. In Obama and Hollande’s addresses, the listener knew that all the favorable comments made about Israel in the first parts of their speeches would be followed by some...

“Thank you very much. “Thank you Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Chief Justice, Ministers and Members of the Knesset, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. “Shalom. “And thank you for inviting me to visit this remarkable country, and especially for the opportunity to address the Knesset. “It truly is a great honour. “And I also thank you for the honour of the key to the Knesset. “So now I feel I can come and go whenever I choose. “And if I may, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my wife Laureen and the entire Canadian delegation, let me just...

A particularly nasty debate broke out Monday evening between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Arab MK Ahmed Tibi – as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was visiting the Knesset, looked on. Tibi screamed at Netanyahu, who spoke in praise of Israeli democracy, and later walked out when Harper said the same when he spoke to MKs. Speaking in Harper's presence, Netanyahu said he hoped the Arab world, including Syria, “would be able to have real parliaments, like that in Israel. In our parliament, anyone can say anything they want,” Netanyahu said. In Israel, MKs are free to scream or...

After Stephen Harper’s speech to the Knesset, we can perhaps put one idea to rest: the notion that his government’s unwavering support for the state of Israel is mere politics, aimed at sewing up the Jewish vote and little else. I have been watching Harper for 20 years. This was Harper to the core, as passionate, sincere and unequivocal as I’ve ever seen him. He said it because he meant it. And, by and large, he was right. Which part of the speech, bluntly worded as it was, would his critics like him to take back? That “Israel is the...

JERUSALEM — In a historic speech here, Prime Minister Stephen Harper rolled out a new definition of anti-Semitism — name-calling that will be controversial at home and on the global diplomatic circuit but which will make him into a mega-star in Israel. Two Arab-Israeli members of the 120-seat Knesset thought Harper's speech was objectionable enough even before he got around to this controversial re-definition. They walked out on his speech, loudly hollering at the Canadian prime minister about injustices to their communities. Harper's speech was historic because it was the first ever by a Canadian prime minister to the Knesset....

A particularly nasty debate broke out Monday evening between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Arab MK Ahmed Tibi – as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was visiting the Knesset, looked on. Tibi screamed at Netanyahu, who spoke in praise of Israeli democracy, and later walked out when Harper himself did the same when he spoke to MKs. Speaking in Harper's presence, Netanyahu said he hoped the Arab world, including Syria, “would be able to have real parliaments, like that in Israel. In our parliament, anyone can say anything they want,” Netanyahu said. In Israel, MKs are free to scream...

he full text of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s address to the Knesset, January 20, 2014 Monsieur le Premier Ministre, Monsieur le Président de la Knesset, Monsieur le Président de la Cour Suprême, Monsieur le Chef de l’Opposition, Mesdames et Messieurs les Ministres, Et les Députes, Distingués Invités, Mesdames et Messieurs, Shalom. And thank you for inviting me to visit this remarkable country, and especially for this opportunity to address the Knesset. It is truly a great honour. And if I may, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my wife Laureen and the entire Canadian delegation, let me begin by thanking...