'What is there to celebrate?': Israel's Knesset marks 75 years in somber ceremony

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, marked its 75th birthday in a somber ceremony on the plenum floor on Wednesday morning, with President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Opposition Leader MK Yair Lapid, interim Supreme Court Chief Justice Uzi Fogelman, and dozens of foreign ambassadors and other dignitaries.

Every year on the spring holiday of Tu Bishvat, which this year falls on Thursday, the Knesset traditionally holds a festive event, open to the public, to celebrate both the holiday and the Knesset’s founding in 1949. This time, however, the ceremony began with a moment of silence in memory of the 24 soldiers who were killed in two incidents in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana stressed the diverse backgrounds of the soldiers who were killed, including Elkana Vizel, who was evacuated from Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip in 2005; Nir Binyamin, from Givatayim; and Ahmad Abu-Latif, from the Bedouin city of Rahat.

“The people of Israel are not strangers to riots, persecution, slaughter, and the Holocaust,” Ohana said. “But always, out of the deep pain, out of the grief and bereavement, out of the deep sorrow and sadness, we knew how to grow and bud, build and be built, learn and teach, blossom and plant, live, and bring life to the world. This is what will happen this time as well,” Ohana said.

Herzog called on the Knesset members to internalize the fact that unity among the people begins with unity in the Knesset itself and that, despite all of the differences and arguments, Israel cannot allow itself to return to the animosity that existed before October 7.

“No one doubts that very soon, this House will hold the most important and probably the most stormy discussions – on security, on economy and society, on war and peace, on the day before and the day after, on political and public policies and processes, on drawing conclusions and learning lessons, and also about our normalization processes in the Middle East, which Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the head of the evil terrorism, Iran, are trying to thwart with all their might,” Herzog said.

“In these discussions, the coalition has an important place, and an equally important place is held by the opposition,” the president continued. “But, when we stand in historical moments, facing challenges that few nations face, I feel obliged to express here that which we hear from the hearts of the people: There is a way to argue. Even when arguing, be worthy. We cannot allow a return to the discourse of October 6. We cannot talk about a change in the public discourse without this House itself making a change in the discourse. We cannot talk about mutual respect and unity without the Knesset taking a central part in the change.”

Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to defeating Hamas.

“I have heard the opinion that the events of Simchat Torah brought us back to the early days of Zionism, to the antisemitic pogroms of Eastern Europe and, later, the eastern lands. This may be true in one respect: the intention of those who wish to destroy us has not changed over the years. It is the same hatred. The bloodlust is the same bloodlust. However, today, unlike in the past, we have a country, and we have our own army. We restored to the people of Israel the defensive force that it had lost over generations. We stand like a fortified wall in the face of the dark barbarism that came for us,” Netanyahu said.

Israel must and will be victorious in all its aims – to topple Hamas, release the hostages, and ensure that there will never be a military threat from Gaza.

Yair Lapid to Knesset: What is there to celebrate?

“A vast majority of the people believe in Israel’s spirit, in Israel’s resilience, in the justness of Israel’s path. When faced with those who doubt this, we will respond with words from the Bible, instead of ‘a small, weak voice,’ a ‘strong, brave voice.’ Courage will win – the courage of our soldiers, the courage of our fallen heroes. The people of Israel will be victorious,” the prime minister stated.

Lapid, who has ramped up his criticism of the government in recent weeks and begun to call for an election, struck a different tone.

“We gathered here to celebrate the Knesset’s birthday. What is there to celebrate? Do you see anyone else in the country celebrating?” Lapid said. He argued that “the Knesset and government are not the solution; they are the problem,” adding that “the time has come for us to ask ourselves how we arrived at a situation in which the citizens of Israel, the best people in the world, feel like they have lost control over their lives and that no one is caring for them.”

Lapid offered thinly veiled criticism, saying that the government must say loudly and clearly that the ultimate goal is to bring the hostages back home – and then begin to deal not just with tactics but with strategy.

“Gaza is just part of the problem... Israel will win the war but victory is not just killing (Hamas military leader Yahya) Sinwar. Victory is being better – better to each other, better as a nation. For the living and for those who are being buried, we must bring about change,” Lapid said.

“We know today that the fact that we did not make this change on time led to a disaster, the biggest disaster in our history. We will not let the next disaster happen. Israel will carry out the necessary change; there is no other way,” he concluded.