Former Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin, Likud’s candidate for the presidency, said Sunday in a visit to Beit El that the existence of the Jewish people is only guaranteed in Israel. The Holocaust showed that Jews will not be accepted as nationals in foreign countries, he said.

Rivlin expressed his support for Jewish settlement throughout the land of Israel, and particularly in Judea and Samaria. He enjoys seeing the development in Jewish communities, he said, especially the educational and cultural developments. Rivlin said he is not concerned that his political views could hurt his presidential chances, saying that he has always publicly supported Jewish settlement in Israel, and he believes that his fellow Members of Knesset will support him.