Start, Wage, Loving: For Joy Serve Soul In Solidarity: article. "Christmas trees are offensive to Jews...." Haaretz: “Earlier this week a Christian Palestinian member of the Knesset requested to display a Christmas tree in the halls of parliament where he works as a lawmaker. Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein rejected his request. Edelstein says the initiative is part of an Arab campaign to chip away at Israel's Jewish nature. He warned that if he had agreed he would then likely face further requests to display a cross and crescent in parliament.”