To argue without incitement, to think differently without hatred. This agreement must begin from above – and 70 Knesset members have signed a pact committing to exactly this. Behind the “Pact for Mutual Respect” initiative stands MK Moshe Arbel from the Shas party.
In the pact, the MKs commit to serve as personal examples, to hold fair and honest dialogue and to act with respect, pleasantness and mutual responsibility for one another.
At the ceremony presenting the pact to the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, MK Arbel stated: “The goal of the Pact for Mutual Respect is not to abolish, heaven forbid, differences of opinion, which are so necessary in a deliberative democracy, not to abolish, heaven forbid, diversity of thought and not criticism either. Its goal, as written, is to preserve mutual respect despite strong differences of opinion! Its goal is to enable us to struggle over principles without arousing hatred and divisions.”
The President accepted the pact and added: “These are difficult days in Israel. Disagreements have become a political tool, a means for the parties to gather votes. This stands in total opposition to the wonderful pact that you seek to establish as a statement on behalf of the Knesset.”