Lapid forgoes speech, says hecklers causing shame to democracy

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid forgoes his prepared speech to the Knesset, instead reprimanding right-wing opposition to the new government for the nonstop heckling of Bennett.

“I’m skipping the speech I planned to deliver today because I’m here to say one thing – to ask for forgiveness from my mother,” he says at the podium. “My mother is 86 years old and we don’t ask her to come to Jerusalem lightly. But we did it because I assumed that you would be able to get over yourselves and behave with statesmanship at this moment, and she would see a smooth transition of government,” he says to the rowdy plenum.

“When she was born, there was no State of Israel, Tel Aviv was a small town of 30,000 people and we didn’t have a parliament. I wanted her to be proud of the democratic process in Israel. Instead she, along with every citizen of Israel, is ashamed of you and remembers clearly why it’s time to replace you. Thank you.”