Knesset speaker, ex-refusenik, makes historic speech to Russian parliament

The speaker of Israel's parliament, Yuli Edelstein, gave a speech at the upper house of the Russian Parliament on Wednesday, about 33 years after he was arrested in Moscow for teaching Hebrew. Edelstein first said in Hebrew that he was thrown in jail by the Soviet authorities for teaching the language that "told the world of the rejection of tyranny and the rise of just rule, love of humanity and the hope for freedom." Later, after switching to Russian, he described the growing ties between Israel and Russia as well as the threats posed by Hamas, Hizballah and Iran. He also said there is no difference between terrorist attacks in Israel and those that take place elsewhere in the world, and that the two countries should fight terrorism together.  
Edelstein was only allowed to immigrate to Israel from the then-Soviet Union after nine years as a refusenik including three years of hard labor.