50-403: President Herzog may refer to: Chaim Herzog (1918–1997), President of Israel from 1983 to 1993 Isaac Herzog (born 1960), President of Israel since 2021 and the son of Chaim See also [ edit ] Herzog (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
100-465: A Western European background was Chaim Herzog, who originally came from Belfast , United Kingdom . The first president with a Mizrahi background was Moshe Katsav , who was born in Iran . The first president to be born in the modern state after Israel's declaration of independence is Isaac Herzog . He is also the first son of a former Israeli president to also become president. As of 2024,
150-404: A decision regarding the prerogative of clemency at his or her own discretion, after receiving information from the applicants, requesting the opinion of other parties, and consulting the minister of justice or the minister of defense , as the case may be. Each Israeli president adopts a different approach to how they handle clemency, which influences their decision making. The president confers
200-548: A military power. President Herzog reduced the sentences of Menachem Livni, Uzi Sharbaf and Shaul Nir, members of the Jewish Underground , who were sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1984 murder of four Palestinians in the West Bank town of Hebron . Herzog reduced the sentences, first to 24 years, then to 15 years, and in 1989, to 10 years, which enabled the men to be released two years later on good behaviour. In 1998,
250-699: A number of visits abroad, being the first Israeli president to make an official visit to Germany, as well as visiting several far-east countries, such as Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand . He was also noted for pardoning the Shin Bet agent involved in the Kav 300 affair . In 1985, during his state visit to the Republic of Ireland , Herzog visited Wesley College, Dublin , opened the Irish Jewish Museum in Dublin , and unveiled
300-589: A request, effectively dismissing the prime minister from office and triggering the resignation of the Government. The exercise of this authority by the president serves to prevent a prime minister from abusing their power – namely, beating the Knesset into submission through multiple snap elections . The president has broad power to pardon, reduce, or commute the sentences of both soldiers and civilians, including to refuse requests for such clemency. The president reaches
350-589: A sculpture in honour of his childhood friend, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh , former Chief Justice of Ireland and, later, the fifth President of Ireland , in Sneem Culture Park, County Kerry . Herzog was an opponent of Saddam Hussein 's regime in Iraq , to which he referred to as a nest "of world terror". He said the world largely dismissed Israel's warnings that Baghdad was becoming a capital of world terrorism, adding that some Western countries helped Hussein develop into
400-726: Is also named for him, Herzog Park , in Rathgar in south Dublin. A major thoroughfare in Jerusalem, Shderot Hanassi Hashishi (Sixth President Boulevard) is named for him. Herzog died on 17 April 1997 in Tel Aviv , from heart failure caused by pneumonia at the age of 78. He is buried on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem . Herzog's father was Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog , chief rabbi of Ireland and later Israel . His brother Yaakov Herzog served as Israel's ambassador to Canada and later as Director General of
450-482: Is eligible to run for president. The office falls vacant upon completion of a term, death, resignation, or the decision of three-quarters of the Knesset to remove the president on grounds of misconduct or incapacity. Presidential tenure is not keyed to that of the Knesset, in order to assure continuity in government and the non-partisan character of the office. There is no vice president in the Israeli governmental system. If
500-425: Is held annually on Yom Ha'atzmaut . Moreover, the president serves as the keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies of the half-yearly Knesset conference, as well as at the annual official ceremonies for Yom Hazikaron and Yom HaShoah . Most Israeli presidents were involved in national politics or Zionist activities before taking office. Some were also distinguished in other fields. For example, Chaim Weizmann
550-502: Is no more than a piece of paper and we shall treat it as such." In recent years British historians headed by Simon Sebag-Montefiore have included this speech in a book on speeches that changed the world, which includes others by Martin Luther King Jr. , Nelson Mandela , Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy . Furthermore, Herzog raised the voice against the indifference of some Jewish leaders who seemed "to act with indifference" to
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#1733100805193600-419: Is to guarantee the institutional independence of the president from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This arrangement effectively makes the presidency – in the words of one constitutional scholar – Israel's "fourth branch of government", allowing successive presidents to exercise nonpartisan influence (as opposed to party-political policymaking power) in their dealings with politicians, to assure
650-778: The British Army during the Second World War , operating primarily in Germany as a tank commander in the Royal Armoured Corps . There, he was given his lifelong parallel name of "Vivian" because his first commander could not pronounce "Chaim"; but another Jewish soldier explained to the commander that " Vivian " was the English equivalent of " Chaim ". He was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1943. Herzog participated in
700-513: The Ulster History Circle unveiled a commemorative blue plaque to Herzog at his birthplace on Cliftonpark Avenue, Belfast . The plaque was removed in August 2014 because it had been repeatedly vandalised with anti-Israel slogans. DUP councillor Brian Kingston said, "This is a shocking indication of the level of tension and anti-Semitism which currently exists in parts of Belfast." A park
750-755: The battles for Latrun . His intelligence experience during the Second World War was seen as a valuable asset, and he subsequently became head of the IDF Military Intelligence Branch , a position in which he served from 1948 to 1950 and again from 1959 to 1962. From 1950 to 1954, he served as defence attaché at the Israeli Embassy in the United States . Herzog left Washington in September 1954. A State Department official had informed him that he
800-455: The prime minister as its head. Likewise, most presidential powers are either exercised in accordance with the strictures of the Basic Laws or on the binding advice of the Government. Indeed, most presidential acts require the countersignature of the prime minister or another minister designated thereby to have legal effect. Correspondingly, the presidency occupies a largely ceremonial role in
850-557: The Government or in accordance with the strictures of the Basic Laws, the president enjoys personal discretion in matters of Government formation, parliamentary dissolution, and granting pardons. These functions comprise the reserve powers of the presidency. The president's most important power, in practice, is to lead the process of forming a Government. Israel's electoral system and fractured political landscape make it all but impossible for one party to govern alone, let alone win an outright majority of Knesset seats. After each election,
900-666: The Jewish paramilitary group Haganah during the 1936–39 Arab revolt . He studied at University College, London (UCL), and was awarded Bachelor of Laws from the University of London in 1941. He later qualified as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn . Following his time at university, Herzog held the position of Chairman of the Union of Jewish Students (at that time named the Inter-University Jewish Federation). Herzog joined
950-446: The Knesset, by secret ballot . If no candidate receives an absolute majority of votes in the first or second round of voting, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated in each subsequent round, if needed until only two remain. From 1949 to 2000, the president was elected for a five-year term, and was allowed to serve up to two terms in office. Since 2000, the president serves a single seven-year term. Any Israeli resident citizen
1000-774: The National Academy of Science, the Broadcasting Authority, the Authority to Rehabilitate Prisoners, the Chief Rabbinical Council and the Wolf Foundation . Judges are appointed by the president pursuant to the nominations of the Judicial Selection Committee . All other presidential appointments are made on the advice of the Government. In addition to routine functions exercised on the advice of
1050-906: The Prime Minister's Office. His brother-in-law was diplomat Abba Eban , their wives being sisters. He had four children, including Isaac Herzog , a politician who was the chairman of the Israeli Labor Party and chairman of the Jewish Agency and is now President of Israel , the first son of a president to serve as such. President of Israel The president of the State of Israel ( Hebrew : נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל , romanized : Nesi Medinat Yisra'el , or Hebrew : נְשִׂיא הַמְדִינָה , romanized : Nesi HaMedina Arabic : رئيس دولة إسرائيل , romanized : Ra'īs Daūlat Al-Isrāʾīl , lit. 'President of
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#17331008051931100-500: The State';) is the head of state of Israel . The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the cabinet led by the prime minister . The incumbent president is Isaac Herzog , who took office on 7 July 2021. Presidents are elected by the Knesset for a single seven-year term. The President of Israel is elected by an absolute majority in
1150-661: The UN adopted the "Zionism is Racism" resolution ( General Assembly Resolution 3379 ), which Herzog condemned and symbolically tore up (as his father had done to one of the British white papers regarding the British Mandate in Palestine), saying: "For us, the Jewish people, this resolution based on hatred, falsehood and arrogance, is devoid of any moral or legal value. For us, the Jewish people , this
1200-530: The United Nations ) succeeded him as Israel's sixth president. Likud's Moshe Katsav 's victory over Labor's Shimon Peres in 2000 (by secret ballot) was an upset . Albert Einstein , a Jew, but not an Israeli citizen, was offered the presidency in 1952, but turned it down, stating: "I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel, and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it. All my life I have dealt with objective matters, hence I lack both
1250-558: The United Nations , in which capacity he denounced UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 —the "Zionism is Racism" resolution—and symbolically tore it up before the assembly. Herzog entered politics in the 1981 elections , winning a Knesset seat as a member of the Alignment . Two years later, in March 1983, he was elected to the largely ceremonial role of President. He served for two five-year terms before retiring in 1993. He died four years later and
1300-520: The capture of the West Bank , he was appointed Military Governor of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In 1972, he went into partnership with Michael Fox and Yaakov Neeman , and established the law firm of Herzog, Fox & Neeman , one of the largest law firms in Israel. In 1975, Herzog was appointed Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations , in which capacity he served until 1978. During his term
1350-450: The conduct of state business. Nevertheless, these constitutional limitations do not extend to the exercise of those discretionary functions comprising the president's reserve powers . The presidency enjoys immunity from both civil suit and criminal prosecution. Thus, the president is inviolable before the courts of law for any matter concerned with the performance of his or her official functions. The purpose of this substantive immunity
1400-429: The continuity and stability of state institutions, and to hold dialogue with the public on various charitable causes and issues of national import. The president signs bills passed by the Knesset into law, except those bills that pertain to the president's powers, and ratifies international or bilateral treaties approved by the Knesset. Acting on the advice of the Government, the president is also charged with endorsing
1450-558: The credentials of Israeli ambassadors abroad and receiving the credentials of foreign diplomats to Israel. Likewise, the president is responsible for appointing a wide array of public officials, including judges, the governor of the Bank of Israel , the president of Magen David Adom , the president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities , and members of the Council on Higher Education,
1500-797: The dignity of Righteous Among the Nations on the recommendation of Yad Vashem , presents the Wolf Prize on the recommendation of the Wolf Foundation, and awards the Presidential Medal of Honor , the President's Fund for Outstanding Doctoral Students, and the Presidential Award for Volunteerism in his absolute discretion. The President also participates in the awarding of the Israel Prize , which
1550-463: The execution of the public will. Put another way, the presidency serves as a national symbol that seeks to reinforce the core values of the state and to give a voice to the diversity of Israeli society in the performance of its official functions. In these respects, the powers of the president of Israel are generally equivalent to those held by heads of state in other parliamentary democracies and are largely dictated by Basic Law: The Presidency , which
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1600-564: The first time, winning a seat in the Knesset as a member of the Alignment , the predecessor to the Labor Party . On 22 March 1983, Herzog was elected by the Knesset to serve as the sixth President of Israel, by a vote of 61 to 57, against Menachem Elon , the candidate of the right and the government coalition. He assumed office on 5 May 1983 and served two five-year terms (then the maximum permitted by Israeli basic law ), retiring from political life in 1993. As president of Israel, Herzog made
1650-406: The following year after Weizmann's death. Since then, elections have been held in 1957 , 1962 , 1963 (an early election following Yitzhak Ben-Zvi 's death), 1968 , 1973 , 1978 , 1983 , 1988 , 1993 , 1998 , 2000 , 2007 , 2014 , and 2021 . Six elections (1951, 1957, 1962, 1968, 1978, and 1988) have taken place with no opposition candidate, although a vote was still held. Isaac Herzog
1700-554: The inability of the governing Likud coalition to elect its candidate to the presidency. Israeli observers believed that, in counterbalance to Prime Minister Menachem Begin 's polarizing leadership, Navon, the country's first president of Sephardi origin, provided Israel with unifying symbolic leadership at a time of great political controversy and upheaval. In 1983, Navon decided to re-enter Labor politics after five years of non-partisan service as president, and Chaim Herzog (previously head of military intelligence and Ambassador of Israel to
1750-423: The liberation of several Nazi concentration camps as well as identifying a captured German soldier as Heinrich Himmler . He left the British Army in March 1947 as a war substantive captain and was granted the honorary rank of Major . Immediately following the war, he returned to Palestine. After the establishment of the State of Israel, he fought in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , serving as an officer in
1800-507: The light of the said condemnation against Zionism, he asked then: "Where is the Jewish people?" in The New York Times article titled: "Herzog Asserts Jews Didn't Aid Israelis in U.N. Zionism Debate". After the publication of the editorial, "several letters of support arrived to the Israel delegation at the United Nations", he had become a hero for the common Jewish American citizen. In the 1981 elections , Herzog entered politics for
1850-496: The only other presidents with close family ties were Chaim Weizmann and his nephew Ezer Weizman . All Israeli presidents from Yitzhak Ben-Zvi to Ezer Weizman were members of, or associated with, the Labor Party and its predecessors, and have been considered politically moderate. Moshe Katsav was the first Likud president. These tendencies were especially significant in the April 1978 election of Labor's Yitzhak Navon , following
1900-512: The president assigns the task anew. If a government is not formed within the timeframe stipulated in Basic Law: The Government , then the president dissolves the Knesset and calls for fresh elections. The prime minister may request, by virtue of section 29 (a) of Basic Law: The Government, that the president dissolve the Knesset whenever the Government has lost its majority and is incapable of functioning. The president may refuse such
1950-416: The president consults with party leaders to determine who is most likely to command a majority in the Knesset. Following such consultations, the president assigns a Knesset member the task of forming a Government. If the nominee is successful in forming a Government that can command the confidence of the Knesset, then said Knesset member becomes the prime minister . If a nominee fails to form a Government, then
2000-411: The president is temporarily incapacitated, or leaves office, the speaker of the Knesset becomes acting president. The first presidential election took place on 16 February 1949, and the winner was Chaim Weizmann . The second took place in 1951, as at the time presidential terms were linked to the length of the Knesset term (the first Knesset lasted only two years). Another election took place
2050-588: The title President Herzog . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=President_Herzog&oldid=1190212514 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Title and name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Chaim Herzog Chaim Herzog ( Hebrew : חיים הרצוג ; 17 September 1918 – 17 April 1997)
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2100-610: The war and, following the end of the British Mandate and Israel's Declaration of Independence in 1948, fought in the Battles of Latrun during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War . He retired from the Israel Defence Forces in 1962 with the rank of major-general. After leaving the military, Herzog practised law. In 1972 he was a co-founder of Herzog, Fox & Ne'eman , which would become one of Israel's largest law firms. Between 1975 and 1978 he served as Israel's Permanent Representative to
2150-766: Was Chief Rabbi of Ireland from 1919 to 1937 (and later of Mandatory Palestine and the State of Israel ), and his wife Sarah (née Hillman) . His father was born in Łomża in what was then Congress Poland , part of the Russian Empire , and his mother Sarah Herzog was born in Radviliškis in Lithuania , also part of the Russian Empire at that time; his maternal grandfather was the Orthodox Jewish Talmudic scholar Shmuel Yitzchak Hillman . The family home from 1919
2200-434: Was elected 11th President on 2 June 2021 . His term started on 9 July. The president's fundamental role within the machinery of Israel's uncodified constitution is to "...stand at the head of the State", representing the state of Israel abroad and fostering national unity at home. In this capacity, the president personifies the Israeli state, sanctions the decisions of legitimate constitutional authorities, and guarantees
2250-524: Was a leading research chemist who founded the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot ; Zalman Shazar was an author, poet, and journalist; and Chaim Herzog was a military leader, attorney, and diplomat. The first Israeli presidents were born in the former Russian Empire . The first native-born president, as well as the first with a Sephardi background, was Yitzhak Navon . The first president with
2300-536: Was about to be declared persona non grata . The decision to expel him had been taken following an FBI investigation into his attempt to recruit a Jordanian diplomat. He retired from the IDF in 1962 with the rank of major-general . After leaving the army, Herzog opened a private law practice. He returned to public life in 1967, when the Six-Day War broke out, as a military commentator for Kol Israel radio news. Following
2350-566: Was an Israeli politician, military officer, lawyer and author who served as the sixth president of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Dublin , the son of Ireland's Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog , he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1935 and served in the Haganah Jewish paramilitary group during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt . He returned to Palestine after
2400-817: Was at 33 Bloomfield Avenue, Portobello , Dublin . Herzog's father, a fluent Irish speaker, was known as "the Sinn Féin Rabbi" for his support of the First Dáil and the Irish republican cause during the Irish War of Independence . Herzog studied at Wesley College, Dublin , and was involved with the Federation of Zionist Youth and Habonim Dror , the Labour Zionist movement, during his teenage years. He emigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1935; Herzog subsequently served in
2450-410: Was buried on Mount Herzl , Jerusalem . His son Isaac Herzog , who between 2013 and 2017 led the Israeli Labor Party and was the parliamentary Opposition in the Knesset, is the incumbent President of Israel . The pair are the first father and son to have served as the nation's president. Chaim Herzog was born on Cliftonpark Avenue in Belfast as the son of Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog , who
2500-501: Was passed in 1964. The Basic Law: The Government also makes provision for the powers of the president in relation to Government formation. However, unlike heads of state in most other parliamentary republics, the president is not the nominal chief executive. Rather, Basic Law: The Government explicitly vests executive power in the Government (as the Cabinet is officially called), with
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