Knesset winter session opens in shadow of war to sound of sirens

The Knesset's winter session opened on Monday with a moment of silence for the more than 1,300 Israelis murdered in Hamas's attack on Israel last week.

After opening statements by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, the proceedings were disrupted twice by sirens.

The session, which was set to be another dramatic few months of legislation, will be muted until the end of the war with legislation only of laws related to the war.

President Isaac Herzog addressed the plenum in honor of the opening session, dedicating his speech to all the people who were murdered, kidnapped, or missing; the IDF soldiers; the country's emergency services; Israel's citizens; and the Jewish diaspora.

"We are mourning, but we are also proud," he said. "Everyone has been fighting to their last bullet and their last breath, and we are still fighting."

Importance of unity

He went on to tell the Knesset of the importance of unity at this time.

"Even now, at the height of fighting, when we haven't finished burying our dead, I'm hearing dangerous voices getting stronger who are taking the entire nation backwards and are sowing the seeds of separation and hatred," he said.

"This cannot happen. It just cannot. Our enemies are eager for any ounce of polarization between us. Therefore, this house has to reflect the sense of unity among the people at this time and the understanding that there are bigger things right now than our disagreements."

Netanyahu spoke next, reiterating that Israel's goal is a victory against Hamas.

"There are many questions about this catastrophe that happened 10 days ago," he said. "We will investigate to the end, and we have already begun to utilize our lessons, but for now, we are focused on one goal - uniting the forces and storming on to victory."

He also echoed US President Joe Biden's warning to those who would take advantage of the war to hit at Israel.

"I have a message also for Iran and Hezbollah," he said. "Don't repeat the mistake you made before because today, the price you pay will be much heavier."

Otzma Yehudit announced shortly after the moment of silence that party MK Limor Son-Har Melech would initiate a vote to expel MKs who had intentionally left the plenum hall to avoid taking part in it.

Likud MK Tally Gotliv made the same demand while Hadash-Ta'al MKs Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, and Aida Touma-Sliman spoke during the session.

When Tibi took the stand, she marched out while shouting to have him removed from Knesset but came back in for the other two's speeches.

In her speech, Touma-Sliman compared the Israeli children murdered on October 7 to the children dying in Gaza from IDF strikes. She was immediately shouted down by Gotliv and Yesh Atid MK Merav Ben Ari who both said there was no symmetry between the two.

During Odeh's speech, Gotliv approached the dais while yelling at him and spit at him. She was not expelled from the hall after this move.

After the outbursts, the Knesset voted to delay Israel's municipal elections by three months in the bill's first reading.

Another bill passed its first reading that would allow prisons to declare an emergency situation for the duration of the war, allowing them to have extra prisoners in cells and have prisoners sleep on two mattresses instead of beds if necessary.