Rivlin tells Israelis not to lose faith in democracy, despite third election

President Reuven Rivlin tries to cheer up an Israeli public that just watched its political leaders fail for a second time in a row to form a government and sent the country to a third election in 11 months.

“Dear fellow Israeli citizens, after two rounds of elections and as a third election campaign begins, I believe this is also critical moment for the Israeli public, which will choose its leaders. Israeli democracy was and still is a source of pride, and we know that the democratic system comes at a cost. I pray that the depth of the current political crisis and the divisions it exposes among us will lead us as a society and as a country to fight not only for the right to disagree with each other – but also to the duty to find what we can agree on,” Rivlin says in a statement.

“I hope that this is the last election campaign for the next four years, and that we will be able to grow as a people and a society from the division and disagreement that separates us to agreement and action that benefit us all. We must not allow ourselves to sink into despair or grievance, which do no good. We must not lose faith in the democratic system or in the power it gives us to shape our reality with our own hands. When the time comes, we will all exercise our democratic right and do it in the hope of a better future, as soon as possible, for us all.”