President Chaim Herzog warned in his inaugural address in the Knesset Monday that internal social and political violence is a far greater threat to Israel than any external forces.
Israel’s Irish-born chief of state, elected to a second five-year term, spoke movingly of the enormous achievements of the country’s first 40 years, and of the “verve, skills, thirst for culture” that characterize the nation.
But much of Herzog’s speech was devoted to a blunt discussion of Israel’s problems and challenges, including the problem of internal violence. “This phenomenon takes many forms, from wild, hateful rivalry between political parties, through demonization of political opponents to outbursts of hatred between Jews, and between Jews and Arabs, (and) violence in labor relations.”
He spoke scathingly of religious-nationalist fanatics who “see their ideology as above the law … and take the law into their own hands.”
Herzog also implied criticism of the over aggressiveness of the news media when it invades privacy and runs roughshod in cases still under consideration. That too is a pernicious form of social violence, he said.
The inaugural ceremony opened with traditional blasts of the shofar. After Herzog took the oath of office, the Knesset members rose and proclaimed three times “Yehi” — Long Live.
Herzog called in his speech for a “national educational effort” to reinvigorate the peoples’ firm conviction in the basic correctness of Zionism. He also urged assiduous efforts to protect democracy in the Jewish state.
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