Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President-elect Reuven Rivlin ‘agreed to agree’ on Wednesday, embracing with a hug and a smile for the cameras.
Formal congratulations from the prime minister to the president-elect were in order despite the fact that Netanyahu worked himself to the bone trying to find a different Likud candidate for the office – and Rivlin knew it. They’ve been at each other’s throats for years in fact; but they’re both professional enough and smart enough to know they must now set aside those differences.
Rivlin took the high road from the outset, saying, “The prime minister and I are committed to full and fruitful cooperation for the State of Israel and the People of Israel.”
The prime minister agreed. “We are both from Jerusalem, the sons of professors who were educated in the philosophy of Jabotinsky and we have much more in common – such as our football team,” Netanyahu said, almost with a straight face, to reporters. “Joint work on behalf of all Israelis is before us. We have gone through much together and I am certain that we will now know to put the less good aspects aside and work responsibly for the future of the State of Israel.”
