Designate Knesset speaker: Bring jeans back
Likud's Rivlin tells Ynet of his intentions to reverse former Speaker Dalia Itzik's decree against wearing jeans in Israeli parliament: 'In the fashion section of the news I saw that jeans will be next season's staple.' He does puts one condition on revival of jeans in Knesset – they cannot be ripped
Rivlin is back, and he is bringing jeans with him. Knesset Speaker-designate Reuven Rivlin (Likud) told Ynet on Monday that he intends to overturn the decree forbidding entry to the Knesset to anyone wearing jeans.
If all goes as planned, Rivlin is slated to return to the position of Knesset speaker that he filled in the 16th Knesset.
The decision to forbid jeans in the nation's legislative building was made by outgoing Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik (Kadima). The decision aroused no small amount of controversy, and many guests and citizens who showed up at the Knesset in jeans were forced to make do with seeing the building from the outside only.
In response to Ynet's questions on the jeans issue, Rivlin said, "I know that more than the unswerving status of the Knesset, the public cares about jeans."
He explained, "I happened to see the fashion edition of the news on Saturday evening, in which we were informed that the main article of clothing for next season is jeans in all shapes, styles, and forms. There is no way in my mind not to allow entry into the house of the people – and if the people are wearing jeans, we will allow jeans-wearing to be normative dress, only if it is respectful."
"Importance is placed on order and on good manners. Jeans – yes. Ripped jeans – no. There is a limit to every rip that sometimes shows more than a hands-width and doesn't show respect to the place one is in," Rivlin conditioned his support of sporting this fashion staple.
Jeans to be dragged out of attic
One of the parliamentary aides said after Rivlin was chosen as Likud's candidate for Knesset speaker, "The thing that most interests Knesset visitors and employees is the jeans issue. Everything else is secondary. We hope Rivlin brings jeans back so that we can finally drag them out of the attic."
It should be noted that the Knesset recently loosened the reigns on its no-jeans policy and allowed entry to jeans-wearers in a number of instances.
Rivlin also spoke about the new position he is slated to take: "I am very happy and excited about this position, and I hope the Knesset, in all its parts, will have faith in me.
"My first, and more important, mission, if I am selected for the post, will be to reestablish the Knesset's strength and status in the public. An uncompromising ethical code regarding all proceedings of Knesset members needs to be instated in order to prevent the repeat of the negative phenomena we have witnessed in recent years."
