Rivlin at Knesset: 'We meet here today after a difficult, painful and bloody summer'

President Reuven Rivlin opened his speech at the Knesset on Monday by urging MKs to fight against racism and verbal violence.

"We meet here today after a difficult, bloody and painful summer. During this long summer, we succeeded in uniting against an external enemy. Unfortunately, however, we also dedicated time to branding enemies at home," Rivlin said, adding that during the summer conflict, his critics unleashed assaults such as "go be a president in Gaza" and "traitor", following certain statement that he had made.