BICOM

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein will head Israel’s official delegation at today’s memorial event for Nelson Mandela and will be joined by five Knesset members from across the political spectrum.

Edelstein, himself a former political prisoner in the Soviet Union commented, “I had the privilege of meeting Mandela as a minister in 1996, and we shared experiences from prison and the fight for our rights. This is a sort of closure for me.” Before departing for South Africa, Edlestein described Mandela as a man who “knew that you do not correct an injustice with another injustice and violence with more violence,” and hoped that “the leaders in our region will abandon terror like Mandela and will choose dialogue as a way to live in peace with Israel.”

Edelstein is joined by the first female Ethiopian member of Knesset Pnina Tamnu-Shata (Yesh Atid), plus MKs Dov Lipman (Yesh Atid), Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), Gila Gamliel (Likud Beitenu) and Hilik Bar (Labour).

Last week, in the immediate aftermath of Mandela’s death, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the iconic leader as “a figure that set one of the greatest examples in our time… a man of vision, a freedom fighter who opposed violence.” President Shimon Peres said that “The world has lost a venerable leader who changed the path of history.”

There was some disquiet in Israel yesterday at the decision for neither Netanyahu nor Peres to attend today’s memorial event. A spokesman for 90-year-old Peres told Reuters that “The president is recovering from flu and doctors advised him not to fly.” Meanwhile, it was reported that Netanyahu’s office decided against attending due to the high cost of the visit, estimated at more than £1million, in part due to the complex security arrangements involved. Reports in Israel’s media suggest that the issue was especially sensitive following revelations last week over perceived extravagant expenditure at the Prime Minister’s residence. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Itamar Eichner calls the episode “embarrassing.”