President Reuven Rivlin decries the political logjam that has sent Israelis to the polls four times in the past two years.
“Even in the face of the coronavirus challenge, our elected officials have failed to form a sustainable government, and they are bringing us voters to vote in the Knesset elections for the fourth time in less than two years,” he laments at a conference at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya.
“The dire consequences of this situation are not just an impairment of the state’s ability to provide budgets and operate the essential services it provides to its citizens in the areas of health, education, employment and welfare,” he continues, according to a translation of his Hebrew remarks released by his office.
“The current situation even erodes in an unprecedented way the people’s trust in democratic institutions — in the Knesset, in the government, and in the political parties. It erodes the people’s trust in the democratic system itself.”
Rivlin goes on to call for unity, asserting, “This current crisis, like any challenge to befall Israeli society, cannot be won if we attempt to battle it on our own, within each community or its closed sector alone. The contagious virus reminded us that for better or for worse we were meant to live here together: Jews, Arabs, secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox; right and left.”
I'm proud to work at The Times of Israel
I’ll tell you the truth: Life here in Israel isn’t always easy. But it's full of beauty and meaning.
I'm proud to work at The Times of Israel alongside colleagues who pour their hearts into their work day in, day out, to capture the complexity of this extraordinary place.
I believe our reporting sets an important tone of honesty and decency that's essential to understand what's really happening in Israel. It takes a lot of time, commitment and hard work from our team to get this right.
Your support, through membership in The Times of Israel Community, enables us to continue our work. Would you join our Community today?
Thank you,
Sarah Tuttle Singer, New Media Editor
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You’re serious. We appreciate that!
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we come to work every day - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
comments