The room of secrets opens: Between the prime minister’s office and the defense minister’s office inside the Knesset lies a historic government chamber that hasn’t hosted cabinet meetings for decades. Since ministers began gathering in the Prime Minister’s Office due to their growing number, the room has remained unused — until now.
This morning, it will reopen to the public. Using advanced technology, artificial intelligence and 11 ceiling-mounted projectors, the original round government table, installed when the Knesset building was inaugurated 59 years ago, comes to life, vividly portraying three dramatic moments in Israel’s history that unfolded in this very room: the Six-Day War, Operation Entebbe and Operation Solomon.
The room of secrets opens to the public
Around the six-meter-wide table, visitors will see the key figures who led the nation’s crucial decisions during those events, including prime ministers Levi Eshkol, Yitzhak Rabin and Yitzhak Shamir, ministers such as Shimon Peres and Yigal Allon, IDF Chief of Staff Motta Gur and many others.
For the first time, visitors stepping through the chamber doors will experience a fusion of meticulous preservation of the room’s original look and state-of-the-art technology that brings to life the voices and faces of Israel’s past leaders. The immersive display allows guests to travel through time and relive historic moments, including the tense first day of the Six-Day War, when cabinet members convened for an emergency meeting as Jordanian shells struck Jerusalem. During that session, the room’s windows nearly shattered from nearby explosions, forcing Prime Minister Eshkol and his ministers to flee to a small shelter one floor below.
Knesset officials expect that with the reopening of the cabinet room and other public spaces in the compound over the coming year, the number of visitors will rise to around 160,000.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said: “In the Knesset’s cabinet room, decisions were made that changed the face of the State of Israel. Here, prime ministers and ministers debated the fate of the Jewish people. Opening this room to the public is an invitation to journey through time into the beating heart of Israeli democracy. I want to thank Knesset Director-General Moshe (Chico) Edri and everyone involved in making this happen.”