MK Ohad Tal (Religious Zionism party) spoke last night (Tuesday) at the Israel Heritage Foundation and Arutz Sheva - Israel National News conference in Jerusalem.
Tal stated that he is "very happy and I am very optimistic" about the State of Israel despite the recent fissures that have emerged in Israeli society. "Because I think we live in the most incredible and unique time of history, in which we see with our own eyes the fulfillment of all the prophecies."
He pulled out a 2,000-year-old silver coin which was found on the Temple Mount with the words 'Holy Jerusalem' written in Hebrew, demonstrating how incredible it is that the Jewish people were able to return to their homeland and reestablish a sovereign state there after millennia in exile.
Tal criticized the US for interfering in Israel's internal matters while not interfering in the internal politics of France when that country was rocked by widespread riots and controversies over the government's actions.
"Of course, we have our issues. But Israel is an independent democratic state, and I expect the Americans also to respect that," he said.
He stated that the State of Israel "has a responsibility" towards Jewish communities in the diaspora not in order to obtain their political support but "because we are one people."