The Knesset Speaker and his deputies meet children from various schools on the Knesset's birthday

Knesset Speaker Reuven Barkat:

Members of the Knesset, we mark today the day when the Knesset was established, 23 years ago. This period of time was one of the more turbulent and tense in the history of the modern world and in the new history of Israel. In these 23 years, the state instigated a miraculous, one-of-a-kind turnabout, that I think has no second to it: A revolution of creation and building, of prosperity and growth. A new Jew has grown within this revolution, who is proud in his freedom, sure of his future, fights the dangers he is facing, and dreams of tomorrow, a tomorrow of peace that will be better and decent.

Throughout these 23 years, the state went through struggles and bloody wars, while its heart was in search for peace and progress. It had glorious victories that took heavy tolls; and it now stands stronger, more confident and looking onward in faith towards the future.

Despite the turbulent changes, our state has known social and political stability. It developed its progressive democratic rule, which had sown roots in the hearts of the people and left its imprint on the character of our society and on our way of living.

Two main events took place in this past year: A) The continuation of the ceasefire, which prevents bloodshed and the killing of young Jewish and non-Jewish lives. This is a result of the empowerment of the people in their struggle for their future and existence. Empowerment was added to power, and these grains of power stand now as a strong wall. B) The second event is one full of wonder, glory, and derived from our Jewish being, from the deep feelings of thousands of years; that is the Aliyah of the Soviet Jewry. Contact with this group, the Jewish people in the Soviet Union, had been disconnected for fifty years, from their homeland in Israel, and now they suddenly arrived, they arrive, and they will arrive.

But, every light is accompanied by shadow, and even these events of the past years were shadowed over. The cry of distress broke out, the twisted image of gaps arose, and the true and partial true complaints of discrimination were heard. Those who live here for many years, and those who remember the different immigrations from all times – they know and believe, in light of past experience, that these shadows will pass, even if not all problems are solved, and even if many gaps will be reduced, they will not all disappear.

The main question that must concern us all, in addition to those I mentioned before, is whether Israeli society, which is found today in a conceptual and moral confusion, will know how to retrieve its universal and Jewish uniqueness; whether it will return to serve as a spring for a creational power of Jewish talent, and whether it will remain standing before external influences.

If we look at the life of the Knesset in its past 23 years, if we take into account the changes that it went through, the change in generations and the additional layers added to the society and to the Knesset, and if we take into account that we have yet to commit the necessary improvements, and we continue to work on improving and enhancing all that is possible in the life of the Knesset – we can reach clear and satisfactory conclusions. This past year excelled in its intensiveness and dynamics, and yet there was a repulsive element of a spirit of strife, and at the same time, we enhanced the positive interaction among factions, which is a respectable tradition carried out despite of the conceptual tensions amongst us. I believe we succeeded in unveiling the secret behind the integration between the liberal climate which seeks to express the voice of the public, and between the mood among the Knesset members. Nevertheless, disturbing signs were shown recently of misuse of the tools given to Knesset members for expressing themselves, and these were turned into tools used to fight against each other, degrading themselves and ultimately degrading the whole.

We have dedicated much though and effort into the Knesset’s work and we are happy to see that Knesset and its committees are working at full speed, with dedication and efficiency. I believe that I will not be mistaken if I say that the Knesset has made sincere attempts in bringing up the standard of the committees’ services. There is also a constant attempt to encourage the broadening of their working space, even if we may see misuse of these good intentions by carelessly expanding their limits.

In understanding the status of the Knesset in a dynamic and changing society, we saw to it that special attention be paid to strengthening the Knesset in its positive confrontations with the government. We have known that a confrontation, which must be constructive, will only be possible if we equip the Knesset members and the committees with information, guidance and counseling from certified scientific sources. These will provide the Knesset members with the necessary certified knowledge needed for examining the materials placed before them.

We have yet to accomplish this task. We will pursue it with obstinacy and persistence. Only in recent days we were given a list of select well-known professors from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who will be “loaned” to the Knesset for the purposes of advice and research. The work of this group will begin in the upcoming month.

I am happy to announce that the seminars will continue to be a permanent establishment in the life of the Knesset.

I am happy to note that the idea for setting up a fund for research and counseling has become a reality, and it will begin operating in the upcoming month. We hope to raise enough capital that will allow this fund to live off its own fruits, and we owe a heartfelt gratitude to all the organizations that assisted in its establishment.

The Knesset also initiated the creation of an association for the research of parliamentarism. It will meet for the first time at the end of next month, as we are already on the 31st of January. The association’s role will be to inspect issues that occupy parliaments worldwide, as well as following the actions of the Knesset itself. It will use this information and present it to the Knesset in order to improve the level of its discussions and the weight if its resolutions adopted in the plenum and the committees.

I would like to say a few words on the relationship between the government and the Knesset. I am aware that there are different approaches to this issue, but it seems to me that we can all be blessed by the respectable and positive relationship between the government and the Knesset. I think that the Knesset, both its coalition and opposition, considers well its responsibility towards the government, which carries a heavy burden. The government, on its behalf, is cooperating loyally with the Knesset, despite our correct claim, that we repeat over and over again, that the empty space at the table designated for members of the governments, remains.

I must note with satisfaction that in this session of the Knesset, the Knesset formed two institutions that I give my blessings for their existence and put my hopes in them, for they will take part in deepening the bond between the people and their higher institutions. I am talking of, first and foremost, the establishment of the ombudsman’s office, who will listen to the claims of the citizens, even if they are not always just. The alienation in society between the individual and the general public carries with it many dangers, and it is good that we try and diminish, as best as possible, these negative and harming breaches.

The second institution that we recently established is the Joint Committee for Ecology. We all share the recognition that ecology, the safekeeping of the beautiful scenery of this country, obligates a meticulous guarding by all of the citizens and state’s institutions. We are happy that the factions elevated themselves from their ongoing fight over the balance of power and provided the chairmanship of the committee to a man that put much thought, effort and willingness into serving for this important cause. We wish him and the members of the committee much success.

I would like to end by expressing thanks, real heartfelt thanks, to the Secretary General of the Knesset, Mr. Haim Lior, who is with us for the final session of his service at the Knesset. He saw himself as the keeper, in the utmost meaning of the word, of the Knesset itself and its members, with his rich experience and knowledge that he cherishes. We will still have the chance to speak praises of him when we bid him farewell. I have found it necessary for me to say now the least of the least of what I carry in my heart regarding his work at the Knesset.

Finally, I thank the Knesset employees for their dedicated work.

The Knesset knows ups and downs. Therefore, I permit myself to end my words on the Knesset’s birthday with the words of a great poet, who ended his praise for the Knesset’s day with the following lines: "...
You shall not live eternally in the radiance of the lightening...
No! You also have awaiting you
Mundane days and drowsiness and senseless arguing,
Without fanfare and without the anthem.

But the mundane is good and labor is noble,
If it doesn’t stand silently for a moment,
Like a stubborn dim heart, the sound of the drum
That thundered
When the flag was raised!"