The Knesset’s winter session began Oct. 12 “with no future, no hope and no dream,” to borrow from the lyrics of the late Israeli singer and writer Zohar Argov's “Alone.” Under normal circumstances, the start of a new Knesset session is a festive occasion, marked by optimism and the promise that something new, something good, might actually transpire. The second session of the 20th Knesset, however, seated only in March, opened without the requisite message of hope. There was none from the prime minister and none from the leader of the opposition, who has been struggling to lead an alternative agenda in response to the seething wave of violence and terror. Even Knesset members from the predominantly Arab Joint List are having a hard time leading their constituencies. They cannot seem to find the proper balance between supporting the Palestinian struggle and supporting the interest of Israel’s Palestinian citizens. Instead, they are spearheading a provocative agenda without imagination or vision.

Wandering the Knesset’s corridors, it was impossible to ignore the overwhelming sense of silence, depression and despair. It could be felt almost everywhere. Reports of new stabbing attacks from around the country inundated the smartphones of Knesset members, ministers, aides and advisers, intensifying the sense of gloom. The prime minister sat in his Knesset office grumbling and more short-tempered than usual, working on the speech he would shortly deliver. A double challenge confronted him: He had to push back against the violence and also contend with the political instability on the right that threatens the short existence of his fourth government.

Top Likud officials said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had spoken to party ministers and Knesset members over the weekend, asking them to defend him to the media by asserting that everything is under control. These same officials also said that no one rushed to rise to the challenge. Exacerbating Netanyahu’s already dismal mood was a survey by Israeli TV Channel 2 indicating that the public's perception of him as the one person capable of handling terrorism is in decline. His nemeses, Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman and HaBayit HaYehudi Chair Naftali Bennett, ranked first and second, respectively, in the public’s estimation of the person most capable of handling the terror wave, while Netanyahu, aka “Mr. Terror,” elected four times on that ticket, dropped to third place.

Netanyahu’s frustration was audible during a closed-door party Knesset meeting Oct. 12. He used the occasion to scold Likud parliamentarians and ministers who had spoken out against the government’s policies. Thus, the mood of desperation even managed to infiltrate the Likud’s conference room and displace the exuberance of a few months ago following the party’s March 17 election victory.