Lawmakers for Israel’s 25th Knesset were sworn in on Tuesday afternoon in the Knesset plenum. In response to the text read by the Knesset secretary: “I pledge to remain faithful to the state of Israel and fulfill my duty in the Knesset faithfully,” to which each MK will answer, “I pledge,” each lawmaker – wearing white carnations with blue and white ribbons – each stood and said “I pledge.”
Prior to the swearing in, Moshe Holtzberg, 16, whose parents Rabbi Gabriel and Rivka Holtzberg were killed in a terror attack on the Chabad house in Mumbai, India 14 years ago, read a chapter from psalms. In addition, video clips were screened of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, reading the declaration of independence on May 4, 1948.
A pall was cast over the ceremony by the morning’s stabbing attack near Ariel in the West Bank that killed three and seriously injured three.
In his address to the lawmakers, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called for unity among the lawmakers.
“The citizens of Israel today are proud of their country, which this year will celebrate 75 years of independence, and they believe in the righteousness of its cause; but at the same time, to tell you the truth, they are exhausted from the infighting and its fallout. Now, the responsibility lies first and foremost with you, the public’s elected representatives. Responsibility to try to wean us off this addiction to never-ending conflicts and, if I may, off the excessive enslavement to ‘what will they write and what will they say?’, to ‘what will get more reactions, likes, and shares?’, and to ‘how can we cause a social media storm?’ Responsibility to take a deep breath, investigate the facts, and engage in careful consideration before every speech, interview, or time you hit the keyboard. Responsibility to strengthen the partnership between all stripes of Israeli society, from all faiths and religions – Jews, Muslims, Druze, Christians, and Circassians, Haredi and secular, traditionalist and religious; those who are finely represented in this House, and those who are less so; those who will receive the reins of power, and those who will sit on the Opposition benches. Responsibility to walk arm-in-arm as we continue our collective journey,” he said.