President Reuven Rivlin said, Tuesday, “The State of Israel is an established fact. Its democracy is strong, but public confidence in its institutions has been weakened."
Speaking at the official ceremony to mark the 67th anniversary of the passing of Israel's first president, Doctor Chaim Weizmann, Rivlin continued, "Our elected officials must create the infrastructure for a ‘community of feeling’ in the words of Weizmann, for the health of our constitutional government. Deep disagreement is an important basis for any functioning society – but one cannot build a stable home on that alone. The ability of the State of Israel to confront external threats has always been and will always be dependent not only on our military strength, but also on our national and civil resilience. For that, we must continue to insist on a fabric of shared existence. Without it, we will not be able to do so.”