For Israel, new prez, new tone

As a well-respected parliamentarian who has served as the government’s Minister of Communications and the speaker of the Knesset, Israeli president-elect MK Reuven “Ruby” Rivlin has the expected profile for his position. But when he takes the reins in July, Rivlin’s strong nationalistic ideology and low-key international presence will provide an immediate contrast to outgoing President Shimon Peres.

“He won’t have the international stature of Shimon Peres, who was a former prime minister, defense minister, and foreign minister,” said pollster Mitchell Barak, director of Keevoon Research and a former spokesperson for Peres in the Office of the President.

Barak told JNS.org that there is a “stark contrast” between Peres and Rivlin. Peres, at age 90, continues to be a vocal supporter of a two-state solution, and was an architect of the now-defunct Oslo peace process—a role for which he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize along with former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat in the early ’90s. The 74-year-old Rivlin, on the other hand, is an opponent of a two-state solution and a promoter of what he calls “a greater Israel” between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, in which Palestinians would be granted full and equal rights. Rivlin opposed Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.

The post of president carries significant weight in Israel, even though most of the president’s functions are largely ceremonial. The role is similar to that of a monarch in many of the world’s parliamentary democracies.

In addition to welcoming world leaders and high-profile guests to the country, the president’s most noteworthy function is to officially charge a party leader to form a governing coalition—essentially selecting the prime minister. Yet, even this function is largely ceremonial, as election results and the willingness of smaller parties to join a leader’s government are the primary factors determining which leader can successfully form a ruling coalition.