Following the maiden Knesset speech by parliamentarian Afou Agbaria of the Communist Hadash party on Monday, Ichud Leumi (National Union) MK Michael Ben-Ari offered his colleague a unique blessing - loyalty to Israel.
In his address to the plenum, MK Agbaria, a resident of Umm El-Fahm, angrily charged that there are those "who view me and my Arab colleagues as a nuisance that needs to be removed from the Israeli parliament." He also noted that there were some who call for the Arab MKs to be expelled, to be "disposed of" as if they were "garbage."
Agbaria likely had in mind the comments of MK Michael Ben-Ari in his own premier Knesset speech two weeks ago, when Arab MKs demonstratively walked out of the hall. Ben-Ari said at the time that he hoped the walkout was "a sign of things to come. Soon we should merit to see them not only leaving the hall, but leaving the entire Israeli Knesset."
The next MK to speak after Agbaria was Ben-Ari, for whom it was the third time he took the Knesset podium. As per parliamentary custom, ironically, it fell to the Ichud Leumi representative to offer a welcome blessing to Agbaria following the new MK's first speech before the legislature.
"May your entry into the Knesset cause you to become loyal to the people of Israel and the Land of Israel," Ben-Ari said to Agbaria. The next time that IDF soldiers are fighting to defend the citizens of Israel, the Ichud Leumi member added, may Agbaria "identify with them - and not protest against them."
Ben-Ari's wish for Agbaria has, at least officially, already been given lip service. The oath to which incoming MKs offer their verbal assent reads: "I pledge myself to bear allegiance to the State of Israel and faithfully to discharge my mandate in the Knesset."