Amir Ohana was sworn in to the Knesset as the newest member of the Likud party on Monday following the resignation of veteran Likud minister Silvan Shalom.
After swearing his allegiance to the Israeli parliament, the freshman MK declared: "I am here with everything of who I am and what I am - what I chose and what I didn't - and I am proud of all these things."
I am "Jewish, Israeli, Mizrahi, gay, a Likudnik, security-minded, liberal, and believe in a free-market economy," Ohana listed. "What comes first? Everything comes together."
"When they chase Jews with shouts of 'itbah al-Yahud' (slaughter the Jews - ed.) - I am first of all a Jew. When they shoot, boycott, label and expel - I am a settler. When they try to blur a culture, reduce, eliminate - I am Mizrachi. When IDF soldiers and security forces are slandered - I am a soldier. When entire neighborhoods aren't as they were and elderly people live in fear - I am south Tel Aviv."
"When the external appearance of a person is a good reason to hate him, to distance him from neighborhoods and employment - I am a haredi Jew who is not afraid," Ohana continued. "And when a young girl is stabbed to death marching for love and tolerance - I am gay."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed Ohana to the Knesset, calling his entrance into the Likud's ranks a "great responsibility and a great opportunity."
Noting Ohana was the first openly gay individual elected in open primaries by thousands of Likud voters, Netanyahu then praised his commitment to "liberal nationalism."
"He is welcoming but firm in his positions, solid in his principles," the Prime Minister added. "I think he will be an excellent Knesset member and a bridge between various communities. I accept him with respect and pride."