In its sitting on Wednesday, the Knesset Plenum held a special debate marking Ze’ev Jabotinsky Day.
Speaker of the Knesset MK Amir Ohana (Likud) said at the start of the debate, “Jabotinsky paid a price for fulfilling his views, and he was willing to pay this price because as he said, the land was destined to become a Jewish state and the Jews would establish their homeland there. I see it as a welcome development that his doctrine now enjoys popularity, even if this was not the case in real time. In the end, history did justice with Jabotinsky, and he received a proper place in the annals of history. It is now our task to be far-sighted, as was Jabotinsky in his generation, and to foresee the future dangers.
“The State of Israel fulfilled Jabotinsky’s principle of Jewish initiative and embarked upon Operation Rising Lion against the Iranian nuclear program. Let this be the message that emits this time as well to the ayatollah regime from the Knesset, coalition and opposition alike—the State of Israel won’t allow any regime that calls for our destruction to obtain a nuclear weapon. Our strength is great, and it is with us. We are not alone. The State of Israel is here to stay. Let the memory of Ze’ev Jabotinsky be a blessing and may it be preserved in the heart of the nation,” said Speaker MK Ohana.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology MK Gila Gamliel (Likud): “Jabotinsky viewed equality as [the basis of] a moral and democratic society. Jabotinsky emphasized that equality was clearly in the interest of the forthcoming Jewish state. Jabotinsky’s profound commitment to the values of equality reflects clearly one of his main attributes—the fact that he was a staunch democrat who supported a deep democracy. Jabotinsky’s security, political and social worldview stands before our eyes as the movement that has been leading the people of Israel for decades and will continue to serve as a cornerstone in the [effort to] establish Israel as a thriving, innovative, just and democratic nation.”
Leader of the Opposition MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid): “Ze’ev Jabotinsky said—don’t accept the reality, create it. And that is Jabotinsky’s organizing idea: If there’s something bad in the world—change it. Don’t get used to bad things, don’t cut yourselves slack. We have become accustomed to war, as a permanent fixture in our lives. Death, bereavement, disasters. To get up in the morning and check whether there was a ‘released for publication’ notice [of a soldier’s death]. We have become accustomed to getting up from a siren at 3:00 AM. That’s how we live. We have become accustomed to the fact that hostages don’t return. We have become accustomed to the fact that the debate on drafting the Haredim never ends. What can we say to children who have become accustomed to learning by Zoom and in protected rooms? A traumatized generation is growing up here. Eighteen-year-old kids write their wills. We’ve become accustomed to that too. I want you to know, we haven’t really become accustomed. Things don’t have to be this way, they can be different. There can be a better future here, and it depends on us, and on remembering that we must not become accustomed to bad things.”
