President Rivlin: ‘We will only prevail together’

“We must refrain from blaming other parts of the society as if one sector is ‘responsible’ for spreading the disease,” the president stressed.

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
President Reuven Rivlin (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
President Reuven Rivlin
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
President Reuven Rivlin asked the country for forgiveness on Wednesday and begged citizens to follow Health Ministry directives so that the coronavirus infection rate will go down.
“I understand the feelings of confusion and uncertainty, the anxiety that many people are feeling,” the president said. “On a personal level, I ask your forgiveness for my behavior here at the president’s house during the lockdown during Passover.... My loneliness is no more painful than the loneliness that many of you – who were so careful to follow the word and the spirit of the instructions – experience.”
He admitted that the country’s leaders had not handled the pandemic well and had lost the public’s trust.
“I want to say to the government of Israel – its leaders, ministers and advisers: The trust of the people is beyond value,” Rivlin said.
“We must do everything to restore personal, medical and economic confidence to our fellow citizens. This is a second chance and we must take it because we will not, I fear, get a third one.”
“When the coronavirus burst into our lives, we thought it would be a tough battle, but we hoped for a swift victory and so we accepted the restrictions of social distancing with understanding, despite the costs it entails,” he said. “You paid a high price, a real price that has been with us for a long time. And now... we are forced to pay the price again.”
But he said despite how hard it is, he is asking the citizens to comply.
“We must refrain from blaming other parts of the society as if one sector is ‘responsible’ for spreading the disease,” the president stressed. “The State of Israel is blessed by its exceptional human diversity, and I believe with all my heart that it is an enormous advantage.
“We will not prevail through finger-pointing and toxic accusations,” Rivlin said. “Only together. My fellow Israelis, you cannot beat coronavirus alone, but no one can beat it without you.”