The smell of elections in the air greets me as soon as I reach the Knesset security gate. Dozens of journalists are stripped of every item. The inspection has become stricter, and the questions are more intrusive. "Where are you going? Where does this charger connect? Are you sure you need the tripod? Who are you going to photograph?" And everyone quietly answers each question in its place. No one wanted to be left outside while the Knesset was shaking like a ship in a storm.
The first committee I joined was the Economics Committee, which discussed the spam law of the cell phone companies, which call to convince you to come back to them, dial and listen to what they have to sell you. The main discussion also revolved around the non-profit organizations that are ripping off the general public in this way. MK Yaakov Asher sat on the committee and tried to find a suitable formula for the law. A man sitting next to me whispered: "It's a wonder the Haredim don't oppose it. After all, this law will close most of the non-profit organizations.".
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Leaving the committee. In the hallway on the 3rd floor, I came across a photo that a GPO photographer took a long time ago, but the photo is so relevant today: the ultra-Orthodox Knesset members from Shas and Agoi are embarrassed and mostly wondering about the Prime Minister's conduct against them.
MK Ayelet Shaked arrived with Minister Naftali Bennett at a meeting of the Jewish Home faction and demanded that the journalists leave. "There's no point in them hearing the internal discussion and having it come out," she argued to Bennett - and he agreed.
And Bennett was still sitting in his chair, smiling, calm and, above all, calm. But don't let this picture fool you: half an hour after it was taken, he stormed out of the meeting, angry at Uri Ariel's delay of more than half an hour. "I can't go on like this," he fumed. Some whispered that he was already using Begin's words.
The Labor faction room is filled with dozens of journalists, awaiting the arrival of Bozhi Herzog and Eitan Cabel, who will later announce: They want to go to the elections. In the meantime, the journalists are playing with themselves and fooling around.
MK Bozhi Herzog sits and remains silent, while Eitan Cabel speaks and gives speeches, using his time to cry and complain. Still, it's an opportunity when all the media spotlight is directed at him.
Eitan Cabel speaks about going to the elections and releases an unclear statement: "While Shas is waiting for P..." No one understood what the intention was and no one interrupted him in his moment of glory.
From behind, Yitzhak Rabin peers at the children sitting in the places where he and Shimon Peres once sat - and is probably turning over in his grave. What happened to his party that is so obsessed with elections without a real, visible goal?.
In the Shas faction room, behind the closed door, Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Aboutbol is hiding, charging his cell phone. He looks up at the click of the camera and says: "I knew it would cost me dearly to sit here charging. But what can I do, the Degel Hatorah faction room is closed and gathering dust. This is the only place I could enter.".
In the Knesset cafeteria, journalists Avi Blum and Yaakov Rivlin are sitting, smiling at the sight of a deadly cynical tweet that Yaakov Rivlin posted about Elad Mayor Israel Porush. From the other side of the table, Moshe Glasner (Kol Barama) and Goel Vaknin (Kol Chai) are also smiling, and a discussion immediately ensues about Srulik Porush's loss because of the petition filed by attorney Yoav Lelom - and the closure of Zeleznik's Ashkenazi seminary, which according to the Ministry of Education was operating on racist standards.
Meanwhile, in the room next to Tzipi Livni's office, members of parliament from Russia who had come to visit, along with Michael Kaflin and photographer Israel Bardugo, sat. The delegation's security guard on its journey through the country was Nachman Ravivo. They sat and listened to a review of the government's conduct these days, and especially of the absorption of immigration from Russia and democracy.
The young Shas council member from Jerusalem, who holds the property tax portfolio and is now also the manager of the Tel Zion settlement, Nachmaniel Saban, arrived at the Knesset Ulpan and participated in a discussion together with MK Tamar Zandberg from Meretz about the rising cost of property taxes in cities, the discounts in peripheral cities, and the government subsidy.
In the Knesset plenary, meanwhile, Minister Yuval Steinitz was forced to respond on behalf of the government to every no-confidence motion that was raised. When he was about to leave, the Knesset Speaker stopped him: "If you don't respond right now, I'll put the motion to a vote. And Steinitz, what do you think he did? Of course he stayed.
MK Shaul Mofaz from Makdima finally arrived to visit the Knesset. He remained seated at his desk in the plenary. Next to him was a huge sheet of paper, on which was written: "Budget proposal." He preferred to read on his phone, rather than leaf through a book with small print.
MK Eli Yishai entered the plenary session and sat down with MKs Nissim Ze'ev, Yitzhak, and Ankin for a conversation. Meanwhile, there are six people in the plenary session and Minister Steinitz, who is speaking and responding to the proposal submitted earlier, suddenly falls silent. Eli Yishai's voice echoes: "What, you've gone crazy." I wanted to keep listening, but Steinitz continued to speak in favor of the nation-state law.
One of the Knesset employees places a sheet of paper on each MK's seat with additions and updates to the zero-VAT bill. I don't believe anyone will read this, but it's a shame that the Knesset, which legislates laws in favor of recycling, never stops printing on paper.
The media is already gathering near Netanyahu's office. Tzipi Livni and Limor Livnat are having a conversation there. Things that are on the agenda? We couldn't get close, because the prime minister was about to leave for the plenary to vote, and the Knesset Guard closed all the crossings.
In heavy silence, only the footsteps of the Prime Minister's security guards and entourage echoing, the Prime Minister went out to the plenary to vote. He looked the loneliest in the world, despite being surrounded by so many people. Apparently he had already seen the end of the meeting later that evening with Yair Lapid.
I finished taking pictures. I left the Knesset. Everything is dark. Looking back. I photographed the Knesset from an oblique angle, exactly how I felt after a day in the Knesset. It looked as if the ship was already sinking, only the mice hadn't yet realized that they needed to escape from it.
