JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel will bid President Reuven Rivlin farewell as he marks the end of his seven-year term on Wednesday.
The Israeli presidency is largely a ceremonial role. During his time in office, Rivlin issued 1797 pardons, took 131 overseas trips including 33 state visits, held 877 diplomatic meetings, and received diplomatic credentials from 168 ambassadors, according to his office.
As president, Rivlin played a key part in selecting which political candidate will form a government coalition and be prime minister following a national election. Rivlin was entrusted with this task eight times.
Born in Jerusalem in 1939, he witnessed the establishment of the modern state of Israel and later fought in the 1967 Six-Day War. He served in many public and political roles before being elected as Israel’s president in 2014. Despite his right-wing views, Rivlin was known for working to bring together what he frequently called the “four tribes of Israel” – the ultra-Orthodox, national religious, secular, and Arabs.
“Rivlin worked to protect Israel’s character as a Jewish and democratic state, to create a solid platform for partnership between the different parts of its society and to ensure freedom of religion to all religions and to promote equality and prosperity for all Israelis,” his office said in a statement.
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He also frequently called on Israelis and Palestinians to make peace. During a recent farewell tour in the United States, he urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to help bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We are not condemned to live together, we are destined to live together,” Rivlin said speaking at United Nations headquarters in New York. “It’s up to us to end the conflict.”
Much of Rivlin’s work centered on supporting Israeli soldiers, Holocaust Remembrance, and leading the fight against global anti-Semitism.
He also opened up his official residence in Jerusalem to the Israeli public, welcoming some 130,000 visitors on guided tours through his home.
After Rivlin steps down as Israel’s 10th president, Isaac Herzog will be sworn in as Israel’s new president on Wednesday.
Herzog spent years serving as head of the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization that helps Jews around the world immigrate to Israel. He is also the former head of Israel’s Labor Party and ran an unsuccessful campaign against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2013.
Herzog is the son of a prominent Zionist family. His father, Chaim Herzog, was once Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations before being elected president. His grandfather was Israel’s first chief rabbi. His uncle, Abba Eban, served as Israel’s first foreign minister and ambassador to the UN and the US.
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