Israeli speaker jokes about UN teleprompter glitch before Donald Trump’s Knesset speech (Picture credit: AP)
Israeli Knesset speaker Amir Ohana poked fun at a technical mishap during a previous United Nations appearance by US President Donald Trump while welcoming him to Israel on Monday. Speaking before the Knesset, Ohana said, “You stand before the people of Israel not as another American president but as a giant of Jewish history.”
Ohana, referencing the teleprompter issues Trump faced at the UN, added with a smile, “By the way, President Trump, your team has checked the teleprompter, it is working beautifully.” Earlier, Ohana had contrasted Trump with previous UN engagements, saying, “The world needs not the pleasers who feed the crocodile in the hope that they will be eaten last like the kind we have seen at the UN General Assembly.” He went on to stress his admiration for the US president, “What the world needs now are more leaders who are brave, resolute, strong and bold. The world needs more Trump.”Trump, in his visit to Israel, addressed lawmakers at the Knesset on Monday, urging the country to focus on peace in the Middle East following two years of conflict with Hamas, while also praising allies and settling political scores. He called for Israel to translate battlefield victories into long-term peace and promised U.S. support in rebuilding Gaza .The Knesset audience welcomed Trump enthusiastically, chanting his name and giving him multiple standing ovations. Some attendees donned red hats resembling his “Make America Great Again” caps, modified to read “Trump, The Peace President”.The remarks by Ohana and Trump come against the backdrop of Trump highlighting a series of technical issues during a recent UN visit. He noted a malfunctioning teleprompter, a stalled escalator, and audio problems, which he described as “triple sabotage” and requested an investigation.Trump is currently on a Middle East tour that will next take him to Egypt, where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will lead a summit with more than 20 countries aimed at consolidating the fragile truce in Gaza.