President of Israel Opens New Knesset Session Decrying Political Strife: ‘My Heart Bleeds’

Jerusalem, 20 October, 2025 (TPS-IL) — President of Israel Isaac Herzog opened the Fourth Session of the 25th Knesset on Monday with a strong rebuke of partisan divisions in Israel, specifically the government’s attacks on the Supreme Court and Israel’s Attorney General. The comments came as part of the President’s address to the Knesset, and against the backdrop of an expectation of a return to politics as usual after two years of war in Gaza.

“My heart bleeds,” Herzog told those assembled, “because there is a difference between a principled debate that is certainly legitimate, and there are legitimate opinions in it, and a lack of courtesy, an insult to human dignity, an insult to the dignity of the Authority and other authorities, and an insult to the dignity of Israel’s judges.”

The President described Israel as being in a state of, “Each one at the other’s throat, strangling each other, and acting disrespectfully, and I am not willing to accept a situation of basic disrespect.”

“When the people of Israel, instead of dealing with the truly important issues,” he added, “are concerned with ‘Will the President of the Supreme Court be invited (to the Knesset opening ceremonies) or not?’ and under what title, and ‘Will the Attorney General be invited?’ And I tell you, President of the Supreme Court, I welcome you.”

The president went on to, “demand that everyone sit down and talk,” and spoke about how this is an election year as new Knesset elections will need to be held by the end of 2026.