Veteran politician Issac Herzog becomes 11th President of Israel

Labor Veteran Issac Herzog has been elected as the 11th President of Israel in a secret ballot in the Knesset (Parliament).

The former labor leader was elected by the Parliament in a vote as the opposition lawmakers were holding the negotiations to form a coalition to end Prime Minister Netanyahu’s 12 straight years in office.

The 60-year old will be the first President of Israel who is the son of a former president. Herzog’s father Chaim Herzog had also served as Israel’s head of state between 1983 and 1993.

Herzog will replace President Reuven Rivlin, who was elected as a President in 2014, and will assume his position as Israel’s President on July 9, 2021.

Issac Herzog has been elected as a President with the support of an overwhelming 87 lawmakers in the 120 member house, defeating his rival Miriam Peretz with a comfortable margin.

The newly voted President thanked all the lawmakers who voted for him and mentioned that it was an honour to serve the entire people of Israel.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Herzog on his election as the next President. Issac Herzog was also Netanyahu’s opponent in the 2015 elections for PM.

About Issac Herzog:

• Herzog began his career as the Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Ehud Barak between 1999 and 2000.

• He is currently the head of the Jewish Agency which is a non-profit that works with the government to promote immigration to Israel.

• Between 2003 and 2018, he had served as a lawmaker in the Israeli Parliament and has also served as a minister with various portfolios.

• Issac Herzog’s grandfather, Rabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog, was both the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, for over a decade and then Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine from the year 1936 until 1959.

Role of Israel’s President:

The President in Israel exerts little power, which includes primarily meeting with the party leaders after the legislative elections and tasking the candidates with forming governments. It is the Prime Minister in Israel who wields actual executive authority.

However, the President of Israel does have the power to grant pardons. It is a potentially significant function as Netanyahu faces trial for alleged bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Coalition in Israel:

The Presidential vote on June 2 came as the Israeli politicians from across the spectrum held 11th-hour negotiations to form together a new administration with an aim of ending PM Netanyahu’s 12 straight years in office.

Herzog’s election as the President on the day that can see Netanyahu’s rivals make moves to take him down is also fitting as in 2015, Herzog had carried out a bid to oust the premier, showing himself as a diplomatic and modest contrast to Netanyahu.