The 23rd Knesset was inaugurated on Monday as Israel continued to grapple with the coronavirus crisis, resulting in a sequence of mini-ceremonies during which no more than three lawmakers were present at any given moment.
Earlier this week Israeli government ordered all non-essential enterprises and organizations to scale back operations and even close as part of the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
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As is customary, President Reuven Rivlin presided over the events, which began with the swearing-in of the acting speaker, Yuli Edelstein.
Edelstein used the opportunity to call all the various parties to put their differences aside and form a unity government that would end the year-long political paralysis that has resulted in three inconclusive elections.
"You know I did not wait for the coronavirus to call for such a government, and I want this to happen because it's good for Israel," Edelstein said, referring to the new push to form an "emergency unity government" to allow a better response to the pandemic.
At this point, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, were sworn in, pledged allegiance to the state and sang the national anthem, Hatikvah.
Their remaining colleagues in the Knesset were then called to enter the plenum and were sworn in three at a time.
