President Reuven Rivlin warmly welcomed his German counterpart on Monday, praising him as an ally in combatting antisemitism.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was set to meet with Israel's new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum.

He is expected to reiterate Germany's strong support for Israel.

Rivlin said Germany has been "our strong partner in the uncompromising fight against antisemitism" and has stood with Israel against "the forces of terror who seek to wipe us off the map."

Nazi Germany and its collaborators murdered 6 million European Jews in the Holocaust. Germany's postwar leaders have repeatedly apologized for the Nazi atrocities and the country has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in reparations to Jewish victims. Relations between Germany and Israel were difficult in the first decades after the war, but the two countries have developed close ties in recent years.

Germany launched a new initiative with the United States last week to stem an alarming rise in antisemitism and Holocaust denial around the world.

The US-Germany Holocaust Dialogue seeks to reverse the trend, which gained traction during the coronavirus pandemic amid a surge in political populism across Europe and the US. The dialogue offers a way to develop educational and messaging tools to teach youth and others about the crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Rivlin meets with German president in Jerusalem appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

As Israel's skies reopen, every person who arrives or leaves the Jewish state via Ben Gurion International Airport starting will be able to attend a unique exhibition celebrating the diversity that underpins Israeli society.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The message of the "Hamsa Aleinu" exhibit is "to show how Israel's diversity is an integral part of its story and ethos, both within its borders and in the Jewish world."

The project was created by Vibe Israel, a non-profit dedicated to improving Israel's reputation worldwide, in cooperation with the President's Residence.

"Hamsa Aleinu" was inspired by President Reuven Rivlin's program "Israeli Hope," which aims to strengthen statehood and establish partnership between the four main sectors that comprise Israeli society: secular, religious, ultra-Orthodox Jews, and Arabs. The project also includes the fifth tribe, which Rivlin emphasized in a 2017 speech to the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly – the global Jewish community.

Speaking of the upcoming exhibition, Rivlin said: "I am happy that as we return to normal, all those walking along the concourse here at Ben-Gurion airport, on their way to their flights, will pass the Hamsa Aleinu exhibit. They will pause for a moment, look at the pictures, and will get to know the people who live and breathe true partnership. And when they take off for other countries, they will remember where we come from and that we come back home here, the home of everyone."

Founder and CEO of Vibe Israel Joanna Landau said: "At a time when the world is facing such turmoil, the hamsa [palm-shaped symbol] reminds us to celebrate our similarities despite our differences, not to lose hope, and to focus on coming together rather than pulling apart."

The physical exhibit will be accompanied by a digital campaign, #HamsaAleinu, to amplify the message of diversity globally.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post President's speech inspires exhibit at Israel's main port of entry appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The population of Jerusalem is approaching 1 million, a review published by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research ahead of Jerusalem Day, showed.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

On Tuesday, JIPS researchers presented President Reuven Rivlin with a statistical review of the capital for 2021, which showed that Jerusalem continues to be the largest city in Israel. At the end of 2020, the capital's population comprised 952,000 residents.

The average age in Jerusalem, 24, was much lower compared to the national average, 30. In Tel Aviv, the average age was 36, in Haifa, 38.

At the same time, the Jewish population in the capital is statistically older than the Arab one. In 2019, the average Jewish resident was 26 years old and the Arab resident was 22.

According to JIPS data, Jerusalem experienced a negative net migration last year, with 8,200 residents having left the city. Most of those who move to and from Jerusalem are Jews.

By March, the capital reported 130,200 coronavirus cases, or 139 cases per 1,000 residents, a number much higher than the national average, 91.2, but lower than the average in other ultra-Orthodox cities, like Beit Shemesh, 162.

The number of vaccinated stood at 355,300 or 570.3 per 1,000 residents, lower than the national average of 729, but higher compared to other Haredi cities.

According to data, Jerusalem is the second-largest economy in Israel, after Tel Aviv. Some 344,300 Jerusalemites are employed, which is 9% of all those employed in the country. The high-tech industry, in particular, has grown exponentially since 2015. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem had the most PhD students in the country.

"The statistical yearbook contains important information pertaining to all of Jerusalem's strata, all its neighborhoods. East and west, old and new, religious and secular, Jewish and Arab," Rivlin said.

"Jerusalem's future is also the future of the State of Israel. It is here, in the city that comprises the full range of Israel's demography in all its richness, that we need to find a way to create a dialogue, to connect, to cooperate," he added.

"The year of COVID-19 and recent events demonstrate just how much Israel's capital is a multi-faceted and multi-varied city," JIPS Director-General Lior Schiller said.

"Developments and events in Jerusalem have political significance and make an impact throughout the entire country.  In many respects the developments and trends in the city are a prelude to what will transpire throughout Israel in the coming decades. In this sense Jerusalem is Israel's 'national laboratory."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Ahead of 54th Jerusalem Day, capital's population nears 1 million appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

This is a developing story 

President Reuven Rivlin kicked off consultations with party leaders on Monday morning, on who they want to see tasked with forming Israel's next government.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

In an address ahead of the consultations, Rivlin said, "The main consideration that will guide me is to give the task of forming the government to the Knesset member with the highest chance of succeeding in forming a government that will be backed by the new Knesset.

"The consultation process will be transparent and open to the public," he said.

The Office of the President will broadcast the meetings live on social media.

According to Channel 12 News, the president plans to ask party chiefs for their second-best pick options and scenarios that they reject, to get a better understanding of the fault lines on the political scene.

Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, which won 30 Knesset seats in the March 23 election, were the first to meet with the president, at 9:45, local time.

Likud member and Justice Minister Amir Ohana told Rivlin in their meeting, "We have here a decision by the voter. The Likud movement headed by Netanyahu received over a million votes from Israel's citizens. We believe and hope that with the highest number of recommendations, this will make Netanyahu the candidate for forming a government in a way that reflects the will of the people."

When Rivlin told the Likud officials in attendance, Ohana, Science Minister Ofir Akunis, and Settlement Affairs Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, he may not only take the number of Knesset seats garnered in the last election into consideration when deciding who to task with forming the last government, Akunis responded that "tasking a party with single-digit Knesset sets with the mandate is an undemocratic idea."

Asked whether Likud members would also recommend an alternative candidate to Netanyahu, Ohana replied: "As a state governed by the rule of law, we need to ask ourselves what the law says. The law, of course, is clear, and when we recommend Netanyahu, we act in accordance with the law. I came here from another place, the district courthouse, out of a firm belief, and I came to stand on the side of truth and justice. I think the over a million people who voted for Likud know the situation the president alluded to."

At 10:15, the president met with representatives of the Yesh Atid party, who recommended their leader Yair Lapid for the job, saying he was the only candidate capable of forming a government.

Senior Yesh Atid member Orna Barbivai told the president, "When we have a prime minister who is defending himself right now in court, we need a candidate who will work for the sake of the State of Israel, not himself, to take on this important task."

While Barbivai admitted Lapid may recommend another candidate for the role of prime minister, she said the Yesh Atid head should be tasked with forming the next government because he had the best chance of succeeding in the task.

In their meeting, Rivlin said, "I don't see a way to establish the government right now. The people of Israel should be very worried that we may be forced to be dragged into a fifth election campaign."

At 11:00, Rivlin met with members of the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox Shas party, who said they would recommend "Netanyahu and only Netanyahu" form the next coalition and serve as prime minister.

Shas MK Yinon Azoulay told Rivlin, "Throughout the entire election campaign, we said clearly we would only support Netanyahu as prime minister, and that is what we are here to say today."

Asked by Rivlin whether Netanyahu would have the support necessary to form a coalition, Azoulay said, "We believe he is the only one who can bring about a 61-[Knesset seat] majority. How will it happen? We believe it will."

Blue and White officials recommended Lapid be tasked with forming the next government in their meeting with Rivlin, held at 11:45.

In their meeting, Sports Minister Hili Tropper said, "We have a deep commitment to a government of change." He said, "We cannot sit with Netanyahu [in a coalition government]. Stability will not come from a prime minister busy with his personal issues.

"We recommend Lapid, but we will certainly support any candidate from the change bloc that can bring the highest number of recommendations," he said.

Strategic Affairs Minister and Blue and White member Orit Farkash Hacohen called to "remove the public vortex we are in because of one person," to which Rivlin responded he could not engage in the heart's desires. "The value issue you speak of is a very weighty issue the people faced in the election."

Ahead of his meeting with the president, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz announced his party would recommend Rivlin task Lapid with forming the next coalition.

"We will continue to do everything so that an honest government is formed, and for the mandate not to go to Netanyahu who is entirely concerned with his trial," Gantz said.

Despite having garnered just seven seats in the election, representatives of Yamina recommended their party leader Naftali Bennett in talks with Rivlin held at 12:30.

He said, "You are recommending Naftali Bennett with the knowledge that this time around, he cannot have it [the mandate to form a government]. It may very well be I pass it [the ball] to the Knesset."

Yamina's Ayelet Shaked responded that the president should give lawmakers a second chance at selecting someone to form the government "and not go straight to the Knesset."

If no party leader can be found that is able to cobble together a coalition, a minimum of 61 lawmakers could submit a written request to the president asking him to provide another lawmaker 14 days to try and form a government.

At 13:15, officials from the Ashkenazi Haredi party United Torah Judaism recommended Netanyahu be tasked with forming a coalition.

Labor party representatives were set to hold their meeting with the president at  14:00.

The meetings are held in order of the number of seats each party earned in the election.

Following an hourlong recess, Rivlin will confer with Yisrael Beytenu delegates at 16:00, followed by a meeting with the Religious Zionism Party at 16:45. He will then see representatives from the Joint Arab List at 17:30, after which he will meet with New Hope officials at 18:15. At 19:00, the president will meet with members of the Meretz party. In his final meeting, slated for 19:45, Rivlin will speak with Ra'am party head Mansour Abbas.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

Joint Arab List officials announced they would not recommend anyone with forming the government. In a statement, they criticized Lapid and his Yesh Atid party, saying, "He was sure he has us in his pocket, and he was wrong. We didn't get any assurance from him or his representatives or an action plan that concerns the needs of the Arab sector. In this situation, the decision was made to avoid a recommendation."

On Wednesday, Rivlin is expected to task one of the lawmakers with forming a government, giving the person 28 days to do so.

The mandate can be extended for another two weeks with the president's approval if its holder fails to build up a coalition within this period.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

The post Rivlin: Israelis should be 'very worried' about 5th elections appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Pollard and his wife upon their arrival.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

A statement by the Prime Minister's Office said the two recited the Shehecheyanu prayer, as Netanyahu presented the Pollards with their Israeli IDs.

"Welcome home. It's so good to finally see you here," Netanyahu said. "Now you can start over and live your lives free and happy. Now you're home."

A visibly emotional Pollard said, "We're excited to finally be home after 35 years. We thank the Israeli people and the Israeli prime minister for bringing us home. No one is as proud of this country and its leader as we are.

"We hope to become productive citizens as soon as possible and move on with our lives. This is a great country with a bright future. [Israel] is the future of the Jewish people and we're not going anywhere."

On Twitter, President Reuven Rivlin wrote, "Welcome Jonathan and Esther Pollard!" with an Israeli flag.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri also took to social media, writing, "Welcome to Israel, our brother Jonathan Pollard. I am proud and happy that as interior minister I issued you your Israeli identification card and passport. Now you can start your life here in Israel as a free man along with your wife Esther. You deserve it Jonathan for everything you did and sacrificed for the people of Israel."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

On Twitter, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi wrote, "Esther and Jonathan Pollard, welcome home. We've been waiting for you" along with a picture of the Israeli flag.

Also on Twitter, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein wrote, "Dear Jonathan and Esther Pollard, welcome to the State of Israel. We've been waiting for you!"

Pollard's lawyer Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said, "I am very emotional over the arrival of Pollard and his wife in Israel. There was a great effort to keep the plan for their arrival out of the American media and not make any announcements until they arrive in Israel. I spoke with them before their trip and they are very excited to come to Israel after 35 years and start new lives. As required, the couple will enter quarantine immediately. This is Pollard's first sunrise in Jerusalem. We're praying that the pain and the suffering of the many years, Pollard spent in prison will be forever behind him.

Immigration and Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata tweeted, "Welcome to Israel!"

Likud MK Keti Shitrit tweeted, "Jonathan and Esther are returning to Israel after 35 years. How good it is that they have come home and can build and re-establish their home in the Holy Land. Well done, Prime Minister Netanyahu for all the efforts to bring Pollard back. No doubt, this is wonderful news to start the new year!"

New Hope party leader Gideon Sa'ar tweeted, "Welcome home, Jonathan!"

The post Overjoyed, Israeli officials hail Jonathan Pollard's return appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

President Reuven Rivlin met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, who arrived Wednesday morning as head of his country's first official delegation to Israel, at his official residence in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon.

"Salaam Alikum. Welcome to Israel, welcome to Jerusalem," Rivlin told al-Zayani.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to his Royal Highness, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and all the citizens of Bahrain," Rivlin told the foreign minister.

"Foreign Minister, the world is dealing with waves of hatred and wars at all times, so I am especially proud and moved that our peoples have shown the world that nevertheless, this is the time for peace. The entire world should see the flags of Israel and Bahrain waving next to each other at the President's Residence and on the streets of Jerusalem today," Rivlin continued.

"This is a new era of friendship and cooperation. In that spirit, I am happy to welcome you as my friend," the president said.

"The new friendship between Israel and Bahrain and other countries in the region makes it clear that peace is possible, and the world will not wait. I would like to make it clear to the Palestinians that Israel wants to live peacefully in the region. Jews and Muslims, we are all the sons of Abraham, Israelis and Palestinians – we were not sentenced to live together, we were destined to live together. It's time to build trust and make peace," the president said.

Rivlin also offered his condolences for the recent death of former Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, and said he would be "honored to invite the king of Bahrain to visit Jerusalem – God bless Israel, and God bless Bahrain," he said.

Al-Zayani thanked Rivlin and said he hoped the Bahraini people would achieve the same things Rivlin mentioned: peace, tolerance, co-existence even in a time of disputes, and true faith in peace.

Al-Zayani said these were values that King Hamad was leading in the region.

"We know that there will be challenges, but we also know we can overcome them," the foreign minister said, adding that he would take Rivlin's messages back to his king.

Rivlin then presented Al-Zayani with a copy of the Quran translated into Hebrew by his father, the late Professor Yosef Rivlin. Al-Zayani said he would treasure it all his life.

Al-Zayani then signed the guest book: "I come to Israel with a message of peace from the King of Bahrain and the people of Bahrain. I come conveying the of High Majesty King Hamad and the people of Bahrain to the president and the people of Israel."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post President Rivlin invites King of Bahrain to visit Jerusalem appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In a video message to social media, the president said, "These elections, which abruptly fell upon us, have led to a sense of frustration among many of us. But despite that, we must remember that in the democratic game, influence only passes through the ballot box."

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Relating to the possibility that the lawmaker charged with forming the next government would not succeed in doing so, Rivlin said, "In this case, I will have two options, one of which I will have to make, and within three days: The first option is to task the work of forming the government on any other lawmaker that agrees to do so, [besides for] that same lawmaker who was already given the opportunity and did not succeed."

According to the president, "The second option is to inform the Knesset speaker that there is no possibility of forming a government, and there is no other option but to embark on a third election." He said that in this case, he would inform the Knesset speaker "that I cannot find a lawmaker who I believe is able to establish a government."

He said, "61 Knesset members can ask me to grant a lawmaker they support, including those who have already been afforded an opportunity, the mandate to form the government."

Rivlin concluded by saying, "My dear people, know that I will do everything I can, within the framework of the law and the authority vested in me by virtue of my position, and according to the law, to establish an elected government in Israel as quickly as possible, and in order for us to avoid another election campaign."

The post Rivlin: I will do everything I can to avoid another election appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.