Rivlin Congratulates Bibi on Calls for Unity

Stand for Israel | September 19, 2019

ISRAEL-POLITICS-PERES-MEMORIAL — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and President Reuven Rivlin attend a memorial ceremony for late Israeli president Shimon Peres, at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on September 19, 2019. - Netanyahu called on his main challenger Benny Gantz to form a unity government together, a major development after deadlocked election results put his long tenure in office at risk. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo credit should read GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP/Getty Images)

As Stand for Israel told you, in the wake of this week’s elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on his rival for the past year, Benny Gantz, to form a unity government to lead the Jewish state forward. And today, Arutz Sheva tells us, as Israel’s leaders remembered longtime statesman Shimon Peres at Jerusalem’s Mt. Herzl Cemetery, President Reuven Rivlin commended Netanyahu on his call for the nation and her leadership to unite for the good of all:

President Reuven Rivlin spoke today, Thursday, at the memorial ceremony for the ninth President of the State of Israel, the late Shimon Peres, on the third anniversary of his death. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chemi Peres, the son of Shimon Peres, also spoke in his memory.
Speaking in memory of Shimon Peres, the president said: “This year, we are gathered here with you to remember and remind. Two days after another difficult election campaign came to an end, some two weeks before the members of the new Knesset, in which you served for almost fifty years, are sworn in. The members of the 22nd Knesset will take their seats less than six months after the previous Knesset was elected. An it is not yet clear where the new Knesset is headed, and how it will form the government.”
The president quoted the from Shimon Peres’ inaugural speech as president, saying, “’The President’s duty is to remind the generation represented here in the Knesset that they bear moral responsibility for those still in the cradle. Allow them to build their own lives, nourished by our nation’s great heritage, and motivated by the discovery of new worlds.’ That is what you said, and that is what you did. As president, you sought to express your patriotism and your devotion to the public by cultivating the next generation.”
The president emphasized this in light of the current situation, saying, “I hope these words, the sense of responsibility for future generations, will guide our elected officials and the new government that will be formed.”
Speaking of his role and the role of Israel’s leaders during this period, the president addressed Israeli citizens, and said, “Citizens of Israel, these are turbulent days for the Israeli political system. As my friend Shimon Peres of blessed memory did when he was president, and as all Israel’s presidents did, I will invite representatives of all factions for consultations – for the third time during my presidency – ahead of granting the responsibility of forming a government. It is imperative that we convene as quickly as possible, as soon as the final picture of the votes is clear, in order to work towards forming a government that can serve the State of Israel and the people of Israel again…”