Unlike the swearing-in ceremonies of previous governments, which were very festive affairs, yesterday there were hardly any festivities at the Knesset, although it has been 509 days since the last government's dissolution. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and "vice and future prime minister" Benny Gantz swore to be "loyal to the State of Israel and its laws and to faithfully fulfill my role as a member of the government and implement the Knesset's decisions."
They were followed by 34 ministers, both new and old, who approached the speaker's podium and swore their allegiance. It was a procession of ministers never before seen. Perhaps the unceremonious atmosphere was due to the absence of family members in the auditorium balcony cheering the new ministers on, or the avoidance of hugs and warm handshakes in fear of the spread of the coronavirus. The atmosphere was very subdued.
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Netanyahu's and Gantz's speeches were likewise uninspired. The main issue addressed by most of the speakers was the government's size. When Netanyahu read out before the Knesset plenum the names of the 36 ministers who are to serve in the government and the bits and pieces of ministries some of them have managed to cobble together, members of the audience reacted with derision and laughter. Netanyahu's explanations, according to which the cost of the new government is much lower than the cost of holding a fourth round of elections, did not convince opposition MKs.
The bad blood between Yesh Atid and Blue and White MKs could not be more palpable. MKs from both parties, who until a few weeks ago had been collaborating energetically to bring about Netanyahu's downfall, now seemed like bitter enemies exchanging vicious looks. On the podium, Gantz spoke in a very conciliatory tone of "my partners on the early steps into the political arena, who shared my moderate and nationally responsible worldview – Yair, Bogie, and our other friends."
He added that "I hear your attacks and still I respect you. I am saddened by the fact that in the moment of truth you failed to respect our partnership and the wish of the majority of the Israeli public, refusing to acknowledge the challenges we face and choosing to dismantle Blue and White, rather than understanding that this is a time of unity and reconciliation in Israel."
His speech was interrupted by Mickey Levy, until recently a Gantz supporter, who yelled out from the balcony: "You're blaming us? That's a disgraceful lie," obliging Gantz to respond: "In discussions behind closed doors you said that you support a unity government."
The election process of MK Yariv Levin (Likud) as Speaker of the Knesset was also not particularly festive, not least because his family members (except his wife, Yifat) could not participate in the ceremony due to coronavirus restrictions. Neither was there any tension felt before the vote, even though two MKs from the opposition (Karin Elharar from Yesh Atid and Ahmad Tibi from the Joint Arab List) competed against Levin for the role. Levin's excitement was unmistakable when he mentioned his wife, who looked on from the balcony, and his father-in-law Ya'akov Shamai who had served as a Likud MK between 1985 and 1996.
