Israel’s new president brings spirit of compromise
Jewish Agency head Isaac Herzog was chosen Israel’s new president only hours before Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid announced the composition of a new government.
At the height of one of the most tense and uncertain days in the history of Israel’s Knesset, Isaac Herzog was chosen yesterday as the 11th president of the State of Israel. He will take office July 9 and serve in this role for the next seven years.
Herzog, former chairman of the Labor Party, was elected in a secret ballot of 120 Knesset members. He received a large and diverse majority of 87 votes from both the left and the right, including the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties.
Herzog is hugely popular, viewed as a balanced, impartial and constructive figure who managed to bridge the deep divide that separates Israeli society and its political system — at least for several hours.
The election of the president was held as everyone’s eyes were fixed on the advanced coalition negotiations taking place within the change bloc, heightening the sense that a historic change was taking shape.
