PM vows to 'heal society's wounds' as new Knesset sworn in

Israel's 20th Knesset was sworn in on Tuesday, in a ceremony that sidelined, if only for a day, the acrimonious political atmosphere that characterized the 2015 election campaign.

President Reuven Rivlin arrived at the Knesset plaza early on Tuesday afternoon and was welcomed by an honor guard and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who ushered him into the plenum hall.

Addressing the MKs, Rivlin urged all parties involved in the coalition talks to finalize the negotiations as soon as possible. "The political system has been paralyzed for months and it must be allowed to resume its operations," Rivlin said. "Each passing day takes its toll on the public."

The president further urged the MKs to put the skirmishes of the election campaign aside and focus on their public mission.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed over the podium to "heal society's wounds" and strive to bridge the issues dividing the public.

"I stand here today as the prime minister of all Israelis, those who voted for me and those who did not," Netanyahu said. "My door is open and will remain open to all the factions elected to the Knesset, and this is an invitation [to them]. I will form a government that will work for the public, and our first mission will be to heal the rifts and unite around the issues the public deems important. I am committed to lowering the high cost of living and housing prices."

Netanyahu also addressed Miriam Peretz, a bereaved mother of two fallen IDF soldiers who was invited to the ceremony as one of its guests of honor.

"Here with us today are several bereaved families, including one astonishing woman, Miriam Peretz, along with her son, Avihai, and her daughter-in-law Hanni, who were married two days ago," Netanyahu said. "I would like to congratulate you on behalf of the Israeli public. Miriam, you, who have lost two hero sons, IDF officers Uriel and Eliraz, blessed be their memory, are a symbol of our people's steadfast spirit."

Rivlin and Netanyahu's speeches were followed by the MKs swearing-in ceremony. Knesset elder MK Amir Peretz (Zionist Union), acting as temporary Knesset speaker, presided over the ceremony.

Peretz read the Knesset oath, after which the Knesset secretary read the names of each of the 120 MKs -- 39 of whom are new members of parliament -- who in turn stood up and recited a short oath of office.

The ceremony ended with the national anthem, "Hatikvah," before which nearly all Joint Arab List MKs left the plenum. Joint Arab List leader Ayman Odeh remained in his seat, and noted afterwards, "We each chose our own way to protest [the anthem]. I chose to stand in silence."

Meanwhile, the first day of the new Knesset was marked by a torrent of private legislation proposals: Zionist Union MK Stav Shaffir presented a bill seeking to regulate rental fees, Yisrael Beytenu MK Sharon Gal presented a bill seeking to impose the death penalty on terrorists, and United Torah Judaism MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev presented 73 different bills on various issues.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו