ISTANBUL

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama shielded Israel from accountability in a Knesset address, pinning Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe entirely on Palestinian group Hamas while ignoring more than 71,000 Palestinians killed in Israel's ongoing genocide.

Addressing Israel’s parliament, Knesset, on Tuesday, Rama opened his speech by expressing goodwill toward Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and highlighting Albania’s long-standing solidarity with the Jewish people.

Rama highlighted Albania’s historical support for Jews, saying the country and its people, who he noted stood “as few others did for the Jewish people,” deserved recognition from Israel.

He said he was honored to receive the Presidential Medal of Honour from President Isaac Herzog, whom he described as a “noble and faithful friend of Albania.”

Rama absolves Israel of responsibility, declaring Hamas sole ‘jailer’ of Gaza

Drawing a parallel with Albania’s past, Rama said international criticism often misidentifies the source of Gaza’s suffering, arguing that many observers “mistook the finger for what it was pointing at” and failed to see that “the jailer of Gaza is Hamas, no one else but Hamas.”

He accused the group of enforcing a violent and totalitarian system, saying that “its ideology of terror against its own people and toward the Jewish nation” and “its totalitarian dogma that no Palestinian life is worth living until the State of Israel is annihilated and the last Jew is driven from the Holy Land” lie at the core of the conflict.

Rama argued that no lasting political solution would be possible without Hamas’ removal, and said that “until Hamas is fully dismantled, its two million prisoners will not be free, and no peace will endure.”

He also pointed to a former communist-era tunnel in Tirana that has since been turned into a memorial, saying he hoped some Hamas “tunnels of terror” in Gaza could one day be preserved as spaces of collective memory.

Referring to a quote by Primo Levi – “Those who forget their past are condemned to relive it” – Rama stressed that he was not drawing any parallel with the Holocaust, which he described as “an unparalleled crime in the history of humanity.”

Despite repeatedly referencing “bloody conflicts,” Rama stopped short of mentioning the genocide in Gaza, which has been recognized by numerous human rights organizations and countries.

Rama flatters Netanyahu with 'Dear Bibi' and excessive thanks

After addressing Hamas, Rama turned to praise Israeli leaders. He thanked President Herzog, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and opposition figures, calling the moment deeply emotional.

He admitted his nerves, joking that “my knees are trembling” and likening speaking before Netanyahu to “a speech delivery exam,” given what he described as the prime minister being among the world’s top speakers.

Directly addressing Netanyahu as “dear Bibi,” he said he would “do my best… to survive your judgment,” and quipped that he was “the second speaker after Trump that you cannot simply avoid listening to.” He concluded the segment by expressing “with calmer breath” his “deepest and most heartfelt gratitude for welcoming me here today.”

Rama refers to Albania's Jewish history while endorsing Gaza genocide

Speaking about Albania’s close relations with Israel, Rama highlighted his country’s historical role in protecting Jews, saying Albania’s record during the Second World War was unmatched in Europe.

He said Albania served as a safe refuge for Jews fleeing persecution, stressing that the protection of Jewish communities was not an exception but part of everyday life in the country.

Rama said Albania will soon open its first museum dedicated to the protection and salvation of Jews in the southern city of Vlora, noting that in the 16th century, Jews fleeing persecution in Western Europe made up more than half of the city’s population.

He added that, despite its small size, Albania was the only country in Europe to emerge from World War II with a larger Jewish population than it had at the start of the war.

Rama said no other European country could claim such a “historical clean sheet,” noting that not a single Jew “was handed over to the Nazis.”

He argued that Albania’s history demonstrates that being Muslim and being antisemitic are not inherently linked, saying antisemitism stems not from faith but from its betrayal.

Rama further added: “There is a profound history that binds our peoples together. The culminating chapter, of course, is the dark time of the Holocaust.”

Rama echoes Israeli line on Iran, embraces confrontational stance

Rama strongly criticized the Iranian regime, aligning closely with the Israeli position.

“For many years now, Albania has offered protection to several thousand Iranian citizens whose opposition to the butchers of Tehran placed their lives in grave danger,” he said, adding: “It was not without risk for us, and it is not today. To remain human when one’s humanity is under pressure is never without danger.”

Recalling Albania’s protection of thousands of Iranian citizens fleeing persecution, he emphasized the country’s decisive stance despite pressure from allies. “We gave Iranian embassy personnel 24 hours to leave the country and severed even the thin ties we had with the Khomeinist Republic, which I will never describe as Islamic, because Islam is love and humility, while Khomeinism is hate and death,” Rama stated.

Rama glorifies Abraham Accords as Palestinian genocide rages on

The Albanian prime minister praised the Abraham Accords as a “stunning peace agreement,” saying that it demonstrates how “peace is not merely a possible path toward the future, it is the only possible avenue of the future.”

He highlighted the importance of visionary leadership in the region. According to him, the UAE and a few other nations show that “peace is possible, but that peace can elevate all peacemaking nations almost as a miracle within the realm of the Abrahamic faiths.”

Rama invokes family faith story to underscore pro-Israel message

He also cited personal examples, noting that he is Catholic, his wife is Muslim, and his older children are Christian Orthodox, while his youngest son will choose his faith in the future.

Rama said it would be “absolutely fine to be Muslim or to be Christian,” adding that even the possibility of his son becoming Jewish would be welcomed, saying it was “not far-fetched at all.”

Thanking Israeli officials for the invitation, Rama said: “Allow me now to express, with calmer breath, to the speaker of the house, to the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude for welcoming me here today. Thank you all, I can’t be more grateful.”

Arab lawmakers walk out during Rama's one-sided speech

Rama’s remarks, which blamed Hamas for the Gaza tragedy and dismissed criticism of Israel as misguided, prompted Arab lawmakers in the Knesset to boycott his speech.

According to him, criticism directed at Israel from afar risks being not only “unfair, but fundamentally unjust.”

He concluded by invoking former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s call for peace, urging, “Give peace a chance,” and added: “May the memory of those who perished be a blessing. May the courage of those who refused to comply remain a compass. May the State of Israel be safe for eternity. May Palestinians live with dignity in their own state,” yet made no reference to Palestinians killed by lsrael in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also addressed the Knesset, praised Rama and Albania’s “moral conscience,” highlighting the country’s steadfast support for Israel.

During a previous visit to Israel in 2025, Rama had described Hamas as “the Nazis of the new century,” saying that “as history has taught us, there is no compromise with Nazis.”

* Seda Sevencan in Istanbul contributed to this story.