New Knesset, newer faces

It's still too early to say whether the 19th Knesset will be better than its predecessor, but we can already say, without having to wait, that the fact that 47 of the 120 incoming Knesset members are new faces will alter the Israeli parliament's profile.

I don't remember such a large turnover ever taking place in one fell swoop. Usually 35 to 40 MKs are replaced, but this time we're talking about a very significant mass, which is certain to change the character and nature of the Knesset, not only in how it looks, but its essence.

Some 38 MKs are religious or ultra-Orthodox (compared with 28 in the last Knesset), which will influence not only the number of minyan participants in the Knesset's synagogue, but also the issues of the day debated in the plenum and the various committees.

From my experience as a parliamentary writer I've learned that MKs primarily raise issues dear to their hearts and to their constituencies. It is clear that the Knesset will dedicate long hours to issues ofo religion and state, secular-religious relations, military enlistment, the sharing of the burden, problems relating to religious oversight, mikvot (Jewish ritual baths) and the observance of Shabbat.

The sharp increase in the number of female MKs, from 21 to 28, will also have a profound impact on the plenum debates. The leaders of three of the 12 parties in the Knesset are energetic women (Shelly Yachimovich of Labor, Tzipi Livni of Hatnuah and Zahava Gal-On of Meretz) who have a strong will to succeed and will drastically embolden their female colleagues to bring women’s issues to the forefront, such as harsher punishments for sexual harassment, higher salaries for women, and proper representation across all sectors of the population. In the past, most debates over these issues were conducted by the Knesset's Committee on the Status of Women, but we can now assume that they will also be addressed in other parliamentary forums.

The large number of new MKs who will arrive from all sectors of society without prior experience in public service could hinder the acclimation process in the Knesset and extend the learning curve. In their first weeks in the Knesset, new MKs resemble overwhelmed army recruits in basic training. They have no idea how to submit a proposal or how a parliamentary query needs to be worded. For weeks they are afraid of speaking at the plenum podium without a prepared speech, and they certainly don't dare interject in the middle of another MK's speech, no matter how much it may infuriate them. They gaze enviously at veteran MKs who conduct themselves as if they had been born in the plenum.

Over the years I've gained a respect for those inexperienced, wet-behind-the-ears MKs, who like all new kids in school spend days and even weeks learning the ropes. They sit silently in their new chairs in the plenum listening to others speak, they attend the committee meetings and study the subject matter, they ask for help and advice from experienced MKs (from rival parties as well). Only after some time, when they feel more in their element, do they begin utilizing the variety of parliamentary tools at their disposal to initiate proposals for laws or introduce issues to the plenum, participate in debates and ask for the floor during committee meetings.

There are some new MKs who lack patience and restraint. They see their colleagues in the media spotlight and seek to imitate them. They start (usually with help from parliamentary aides) initiating populist legal proposals for the simple purpose of garnering headlines. They raise delusional ideas, which they themselves know will never become laws (if they even make it as far as the earliest reading), and they want to participate in plenum debates on issues to which they have nothing to contribute. They want to talk so that their constituencies, friends and family can see them on the Knesset channel (Channel 99) and maybe be able to tell them later, "I heard your speech, it was excellent."

We can only hope that the new MKs who attend the 19th Knesset's festive opening ceremony in two weeks will arrive with new insights, interesting initiatives and wonderful ideas. No less important, however, is that they behave appropriately, speak respectfully, without issuing insults and making snide remarks, doing their constituencies justice and helping to raise our parliament to new heights.

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