Israel and the US were prepared to pay the price for peace talks, but the Palestinian Authority went back on agreements, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said on Wednesday in a meeting with the Friends of Israel Initiative, a forum of former senior officials from around the world, in the Knesset.
The Knesset Speaker pointed out that releasing terrorists was a controversial decision in Israel and a high price for talks, but the government was willing to pay it.
The US was prepared to free Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard after 29 years, which is also a significant gesture, Edelstein added.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians were only asked not to turn to the UN unilaterally during negotiations, but they did not do that, he said.
"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to sign applications to join international organizations is an outrageous violation of the conditions to renew negotiations, since the Palestinians committed to not taking unilateral steps to receive international recognition during the talks," Edelstein explained.
When asked by one of the members of the group whether an end to talks could adversely affect the relationship between Israel and EU, Edelstein said agreements between the two are a joint interest and the EU gains from them.
"These agreements can't be described as charity by the EU. It's a mistake to connect them to negotiations," he said.
The Friends of Israel Initiative, led by former President of Spain José Maria Aznar, seeks to "counter the growing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and its right to live in peace within safe and defensible borders." The group includes the first president of the Czech Republic Václav Havel, former US Ambassador to the UN John R. Bolton, former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo, former German Minister of defense of Germany Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, among others.
Edelstein encouraged the group to tell the truth around the world, specifically addressing claims that Israel is an apartheid state.
"If you turn Israel into a monster, you can turn any democracy in the world into a monster," he said.
Aznar told the speaker that the Friends of Israel Initiative "has a "personal commitment to the existence of the State of Israel, to the democracy of the State of Israel and to the future of the State of Israel."
Toledo added that those who support Israel are not being charitable; rather, "we are defending our values and interests."