President Isaac Herzog opened the 26th Knesset on Tuesday with a pointed appeal to lawmakers to avoid another election, and to turn the strength Israelis showed during the war into the foundations of a stable, functioning state.
“With joy and awe, I bless you on your day of celebration, members of the 26th Knesset, and the families who are here with you,” Herzog said at the festive session in the Knesset plenum. He reminded the new lawmakers of the trust placed in them, saying that many people had chosen them “out of hope that you will move Israeli society forward.”
Herzog paid tribute to the lawmakers who have been personally scarred by the war. “I stand before you in awe, you who chose, out of bereavement, despite bereavement and with bereavement and injury, to serve as members of Knesset,” he said. “Since the October 7 massacre, we have been through many upheavals. We have known depths and reached peaks. We have faced terrible pain, and discovered how much sacrifice and heroism there is in Israel.”
He then laid out what he sees as the Knesset’s central challenge. “In recent years, we have seen what the citizens of Israel are willing to do for their country,” he said. “Now it is up to you, veterans and newcomers alike, to ask what you can and must do for them.” A country, he added, “is not tested only in its hour of heroism. It is tested no less in ordinary times. There is enormous greatness in heroism, but there is also greatness in building everyday life.”
Herzog’s most direct message concerned the stability of the new Knesset. “This Knesset must serve out its full term. It has many tasks ahead of it,” he said. “Nearly 80 percent of the nation voted for you. You must do everything you can to avoid repeat elections. The people who chose you are thirsty for normalcy, security and calm, and long to see an outstretched hand that brings unity and hope.”
He urged lawmakers to show restraint toward one another. “Be moderate toward the other side, extend a hand toward compromise, even with your rivals, and look at each other generously,” he said. “There is a great deal of work to do, and it requires the ability and experience found in every part of this house.”
On security and foreign policy, Herzog called for continuing the “stubborn and determined war against those who seek to harm us,” while also building “a stable political horizon in the region with our neighbors, including the closest ones.” He called for strengthening Israel’s peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and expanding them. He also stressed the need to fortify Israel’s alliance with the United States, “our greatest friend,” to defend Israel’s reputation, and to fight political sanctions.
The president said the country must “turn over every stone” to understand how the October 7 disaster happened and draw the necessary conclusions. He also addressed military service directly. “This Knesset must deal honestly and seriously with the challenge facing those who serve, in regular service and in the reserves,” he said. “This is the time to find the right solution for a country that is proud of its heritage and of the world of Torah study, but whose challenges require that the duty of service be shared.”
Herzog closed by addressing what he called the moral stains on Israeli society. “Israeli society is magnificent and amazing, but there are moral stains that wound its beautiful face,” he said. “There is no place in it for thuggery. There is no place for racism, toward anyone. And there is no place for violence, not in Arab society, not in the hills of Judea and Samaria, not in the city streets, not in schools, not anywhere. It must be rooted out with full force.”
“Many wounds are still open in our flesh,” he concluded. “We will not be able to heal them as long as one side’s pain is the other side’s goal.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana attended the ceremony. During the session, Avi Harush, whose son Sgt. Rif Harush was killed in battle in the southern Gaza Strip in April 2024, recited Psalm 122.
The ceremony took place amid a political battle over the speakership. A formal request to replace Ohana was submitted with the signatures of 67 Knesset members, and Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot has made clear he will not give up on the principle of military and national service.
