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Photo: Knesset spokesperson
Herzog at the Knesset, Thursday. The most blatant speech he had given in his life
Photo: Knesset spokesperson
Nahum Barnea

Where is the truth and where is the act in Israeli politics

Op-ed: Who is the real Herzog, the opposition chairman who delivered a fiery speech against Prime Minister Netanyahu or the MK who rushed to hug and kiss the new ministers shortly afterwards?

The Knesset convened last Thursday evening to vote on the new government. After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech, Opposition Chairman Isaac Herzog took the podium. He delivered a very strong speech.

 

 

If I'm not mistaken, it was the most blatant speech he had given in his life. He personally attacked Netanyahu, mercilessly, accusing him of excluding minorities, of plotting against the legal system, of diplomatic and military failures, of selling the state and its values, of surrendering to extortion. He referred to the government establishment process as a "circus."

 

Netanyahu shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He later chose to do what his predecessors used to do when they didn't like the offenses thrown at them from the podium: He turned to the ministers sitting next to him, present and absent – present because of the occasion and absent because of the insult. When Knesset Member Tzipi Livni went up to speak, he left the auditorium.

 

At the end of the vote, the swearing-in ceremony began: Each minister took the podium and pledged allegiance. The ceremony lasted until close to midnight. The commercial television channels had already moved on to other issues, more fascinating ones. As always, the Knesset members approached the ministers to congratulate them on their festive day. They included the opposition members too. This polite gesture can only be lauded: It's good to know that politicians in Israel are capable of acting like cultured people.

 

MK Yair Lapid congratulates new Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. 'A slap in the face with one hand and a friendly slap on the shoulder with the other hand' (Photo: Olivier Fitoussi)
MK Yair Lapid congratulates new Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. 'A slap in the face with one hand and a friendly slap on the shoulder with the other hand' (Photo: Olivier Fitoussi)

 

But the MKs didn't settle for a collegial handshake. They crowded together like a herd of sheep at the foot of the speakers' podium, on its right-hand side, competing over who will be the first to hug, the first to kiss the honorable minister. The brothers in arms, the shovers in arms, were led by the Likud faction's backbenchers, Oren Hazan and others. They were not alone: Some of the most prominent members of the Zionist Union list, including the chairman, gathered together with them. They were fighting for the right to give the first kiss.

 

Anyone watching this scene can't help but ask himself what is the truth here and what is the act. Where is the real Herzog, in his fiery speech or in the hands yearning for a hug? Where do aggressive MKs like Stav Shaffir and Micky Rosenthal, who were among those pursuing contact, really stand?

 

Israel's fifth president, Yitzhak Navon, published a fascinating and recommended autobiography recently called "All the Way" (by the Keter Publishing House). Navon skipped the following story in his book, but he shared it with me years ago. In the seventh Knesset, in which he served as the deputy speaker, he chaired a session in which ultra-Orthodox MK Menachem Porush delivered an emotional speech on religious affairs. The highlight of the speech was when Porush tore into pieces a Reform prayer book which he happened to bring along. The Knesset raged: How can a book which is sacred to a large part of the Jewish people be desecrated like that? Porush explained that his outburst had been completely spontaneous. He had been so angry, so furious with the Reform Jews, that he couldn't stop himself.

 

But the thing is that on his way to the podium, Porush passed by the deputy speaker and whispered in his ear: "Just look at the ruckus I'm about to create now." Ripping the prayer book was a pre-prepared act.

 

In many senses, politics is close to theater. William Shakespeare's famous phrase, "All the world's a stage," explains a significant part of the political conduct. But there is a limit. At the end of the show, as the audience applauds, we definitely expect to see Julius Caesar hugging Brutus, Iago handing Desdemona a bouquet of flowers and Lady Macbeth kissing all her victims. We don't expect similar behavior in politics, not immediately.

 

When that happens, there is a feeling is that all the terrible things which are said about politicians – about their hypocrisy, about their zigzagging, about their willingness to give a slap in the face with one hand and a friendly slap on the shoulder with the other hand – have more than a grain of truth in them.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.18.15, 23:48
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