Bismuth calls for unity after divisive installation as Knesset defense panel head

Addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee following his appointment as chairman, Likud MK Boaz Bismuth calls for mutual respect and a focus on “what unites us” as the key panel returns to work on a bill regulating ultra-Orthodox enlistment.

In an apparent response to opposition concerns that he will push through a law allowing the ultra-Orthodox community to evade military service, Bismuth states that he has spoken with the committee’s professional staff and will hold meetings with both reservists and ultra-Orthodox representatives.

“I approach my position with sacred reverence, in a time of war that requires national unity. We must – coalition and opposition – rise to the magnitude of the hour, and act for the people and the country. The enemy does not distinguish between Jewish communities. We are all in the same boat,” Bismuth states.

“The connection between ancient tradition and Torah study, and the state and the IDF, its protective force, is a winning connection, and we must reach a historic solution that will lead us on a new path,” he continues, calling on the MKs to have faith and asserting that he is “committed to all the goals and tasks of the committee.”