Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein met yesterday with his counterpart, House of Representatives head Paul Ryan and afterwards with the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Senate, Bob Corker.
At the meeting with Ryan Edelstein expressed his support for transferring the American embassy to Jerusalem and said that he would be happy if the matter would be approved by bipartisan congressional agreement. "The significance of wide support in Congress is that it could lead to regional and world support" explained Edelstein. "If the American embassy will move - I am certain that other countries will transfer their embassies to the capital," he added.
Ryan responded by stating that "after visiting Speaker Edelstein in Jerusalem last year, it was a privilege to host him at the U.S. Capitol this afternoon. I reiterated my steadfast support for Israel’s security and her inalienable right to self-defense. The historic alliance between our two nations has never been more important, and I appreciate Speaker Edelstein’s commitment to strengthening this special relationship.”
At the end of the meeting Edelstein invited Ryan to a formal visit in the Knesset.
At his meeting with Foreign Affairs Committee head Corker, the two spoke about the situation in the Middle East. Edelstein asked Corker to help him as Knesset Speaker to promote cooperation with the heads of parliaments in the region regarding economic, social and environmental issues, in order to contribute to stability and to build relationships between the countries.