Lapid: World must recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan, united Jerusalem as capital

By GIL HOFFMAN

Published: DECEMBER 6, 2017 11:13

Updated: DECEMBER 6, 2017 11:33

Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid speaks at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM) — Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid speaks at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference

(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Lapid, who is one of the heads of the opposition, surprisingly used his speech to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on what is seen as a historic day for Israel.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, called on the world to recognize a united Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel and called for recognition of Israel’s full sovereignty over the Golan Heights in an address to ambassadors at The Jerusalem Post's Diplomatic Conference Wednesday.

Chairperson of Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid at the 2017 Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference, December 6 ,2017

Lapid, who is one of the heads of the opposition, surprisingly used his speech to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on what is seen as a historic day for Israel.

"This is the time for the world to recognize full Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Lapid said. “This is also the time for the entire world to recognize united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Policies should not be dictated by threats and intimidation. If violence is the only argument against moving the embassy to Jerusalem, then it only proves it is the right thing to do. Now is the time to do what is right.”

Lapid said that the new reality in Syria was that "Iran is going from boots on the ground to roots in the ground." He said this was why there is no scenario in which Israel can or should ever be expected to return the Golan Heights. "Had we returned them to Syria, as the world demanded, we would have had Iranian soldiers staring down at the Galilee, and Iranian artillery aimed directly at our cities," Lapid said.

Lapid spoke to the ambassadors about his grandfather, who was murdered in the Holocaust, and how the international community must learn their lessons from that dark era.