The last time there was a controversy over the Knesset’s dress code was in 2006 when then speaker Dalya Itzik forbade entrance to anyone wearing jeans. This prohibition was removed by President Reuven Rivlin in 2009.
The Knesset’s spokesperson denied there was a change in the dress code and accused the protesters of carrying out “a planned provocation”.
However, it seems that the enforcement of the short-skirt prohibition was prompted by a letter sent last week by Knesset CEO Albert Sacharovich, reminding employees and guards that those arriving at the building “must come in appropriate attire and cannot appear in clothes that do not respect the parliament, including vests, belly shirts, short trousers, short dresses or skirts and flip-flops.” Ironically, these regulations do not apply to the Knesset members themselves, who are by law allowed to enter the building dressed how they want.
