Former staff members of the President's Residence, who worked there during the tenure of Reuven Rivlin, reported strained ties with the president on Saturday in an investigative report by Channel 12 News journalist Yossi Mizrachi. 

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According to the allegations, Rivlin used to shout at employees and throw objects, such as newspapers and television remote controls, at them, with clashes occasionally turning physically violent. 

"The girls would cry because of him," one worker said. "He used to come down hard on them and humiliate them."

Rivlin also reportedly said workers were "doing nothing" and therefore, "40% of the staff had to be let go."

In response to the article, Rivlin did not deny the allegations and even apologized to his former employees. 

"From the allegations that were made anonymously, it is evident that I did not meet the expectations as a senior official. Workers of the President's Residence were our partners in our living space. Even in moments of stress, disease, sadness, and grief we felt enveloped in devotion and understanding. I believe there is no person whose conduct does not harm others. I apologize to everyone whom I hurt."

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Isaac Herzog was sworn in as Israel's 11th president on Wednesday in a special Knesset session

As the nation's president, Herzog will have a largely ceremonial position whose purpose is to forge to national unity and serve as the country's moral compass. As the ceremony began protesters could be heard chanting slogans outside parliament over his decision to appoint a controversial adviser as his spokesperson.

Immediately after taking the oath of office, laying his hand on the same Bible his father used when he served as Israel's 6th president, he was greeted with the customary round of standing ovation among the 120 Knesset lawmakers and the blow of a ram's horn.

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The inauguration ceremony in Jerusalem began with grand pomp as Herzog arrived at the Knesset plaza. Honor guards in dress uniforms, red carpet, and mounted police escort welcomed the newly elected head of state and he was greeted by Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy and prominent lawmakers. He then proceeded to enter parliament to take the oath of office, where he was greeted with the sound trumpets. The entire plenum rose to welcome him and the outgoing president, Reuven Rivlin, and they both sat next to Levy as he announced the start of the swearing-in ceremony.

Herzog, a scion of a prominent Zionist family, is to hold office for a single seven-year term. His father, Chaim Herzog, served as president in the 1980s after a term as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, and his grandfather, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, was the country's first chief rabbi. His uncle, Abba Eban, served as foreign minister and ambassador to the United Nations and the United States.

"The truth is that I am a little envious of you," Rivlin said in a letter to Herzog published on Twitter. "In a short while you will discover what a great and wonderful privilege you have" to be president of all of Israel's various communities — Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, young and old.

Herzog, 60, was elected to the presidency by the Knesset last month. He had previously served as head of the Labor Party and head of the opposition in parliament. After leaving politics in 2018, he served as head of the Jewish Agency, a nonprofit organization that works closely with the Israeli government to promote Jewish immigration to Israel and to serve Jewish communities overseas.

Taking office at a time of deep divisions in Israeli society, Herzog said upon his election that he intends to be "the president of everyone" and work to preserve Israel's democracy.

In his inaugural address, Herzog said that he considers his mission to "embark on a journey among Israelis and their divisions, and to rebuild hope."

While most of the office's function is to receive foreign dignitaries and other ceremonial roles, the president has the power to grant pardons.

He also is responsible for selecting a political party leader to form a governing coalition and serve as prime minister after parliamentary elections – a task Rivlin has done five times while in office, most recently after the March 23 parliamentary election.

Herzog's inauguration comes less than a month after Israel swore in a new government under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who struck a coalition agreement with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Netanyahu was ousted from office after a 12-year stint as prime minister and now serves as opposition leader.

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For President Reuven Rivlin, the end of his term is also an end of an era, and in many ways a turning point. While he is no longer going to hold any public office, starting July 9 he will be Israel's only elder statesman.

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Rivlin could hardly anticipate the turbulence of his 7-year run as Citizen No. 1 – which began just as Israel was prosecuting Operation Protective Edge in Gaza and ends on the heels of Operation Guardian of the Walls to stop Hamas rocket fire. Throughout his term, he has witnessed the US under President Barack Obama enter the Iran nuclear deal and then Donald Trump withdraw from it and even take the most aggressive US action against the ayatollahs in many years by assassinating Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani. He also saw five Knesset elections, including an unprecedented four elections that were held in two years. But perhaps the moment that is seared in the collective memory more than anything else from his presidency was his "Four Tribe Speech." 

That speech, about a year into his term in 2015, had many people wonder what he was warning about when he said that Israeli society might disintegrate if each tribe – secular, ultra-Orthodox,national-religious, and Arabs – keeps to itself and lives in its own cocoon. But as far as Rivlin is concerned, the speech was nothing more than stating the obvious: Israel has to unite lest the Zionist project comes to an end. Rivlin's closest aides know that the speech was his way of expressing his fascination with the wonder that is known as Israel, which has been made possible through the ingathering of the exiles and the fact that Israel has defied all the dire predictions about its impending demise in its early statehood years.

Rivlin often recalls how during the early years, when Israeli diplomats abroad told their counterparts that a million Jews could be brought to the newly founded state, people thought they were out of their mind. But Israel managed to bring them, and then some. According to Rivlin, Israel has managed to beat the survival odds by successfully countering external threats, but it must address its internal crisis without delay

A warning, with hope

That "Four Tribes Speech" came about after the president realized that the four different streams in Israel's education system create four separate peoples and that even the connective tissue called the Israel Defense Forces or some other national service was no longer as strong as it had been. This caused him considerable worry and that's why he decided to speak up. He still thinks that Israel is squandering its potential by not introducing mandatory national service for those who are exempt from the military, such as most Arabs and some in the ultra-Orthodox community.

Rivlin, through his speech, put a mirror in front of the general public and in front of the very tribes he was speaking about. Despite what many have claimed, he did not try to preach anything in that speech but just to present the facts and tell it like it is so that the people would understand the current state of affairs and realize that in the current trajectory, Israel was heading into a reality in which it could become just a composite of tribes rather than a nation that comprises tribes.

If we are too far apart, he warned, we will create a divide that none of us would be able to live in. He wants everyone to partake in the Zionist project and believes that even the ultra-Orthodox and the Arabs can find their place in developing the nation even if they do not accept the underlying premise for the founding of the state, especially through the workforce. 

Rivlin believes that the ingathering of the exiles, as a key tenet of the Zionist vision, is part and parcel of any attempt to unite the tribes, and this could be in the form of marriage. He always says that when his grandchildren ask him what tribe and what ethnicity they belong to, he says, "You are Israeli." He says that this is very much noticeable in his family, where mixed couples are the norm. He also believes that the liberal economic principles of his ideological guru, Zionist thinker Ze'ev Jabotinsky who championed the rights of the individual, is another sure way to overcome the various tribal differences. He believes joining the workforce can create wonders in Israeli society and has already shown its impact as a force for good. 

A vision for a better Israel

The speech also laid the foundation for Rivlin's flagship initiative called "Israeli Hope". In a book published by the President's Residence on Rivlin's tenure, the initiative has been described as a way to "promote the integration of all Israeli sectors in society and in the economy, while creating new opportunities for the forging of new, courageous ties among the various tribes." 

The office of the Israeli president is a paradox. On the one had its occupier decides who gets to form a government and has exclusive clemency powers, but on the other hand he plays no role in the ongoing political affairs of the country, and in fact, he is supposed to serve as a counterweight to the turbulence in the Knesset.

But Rivlin decided to inject a new meaning to his office and has been unabashed about his ideological affiliation with Jabotinsky, considering his long familial heritage as a Jerusalemite as part of the realization of the Zionist vision that puts the holy city as the linchpin of Jewish peoplehood.

The outgoing president knows that he represents a generation that is gradually fading from public life – both within Likud and on the Right as a whole. Rivlin believes that his ideology can be a way to introduce yourself to people rather than separate you from others. In light of the divisive state of Israeli politics right now, Rivlin yearns for a return to the days when giants such as David Ben Gurion and Menachem Begin could hold a cut-throat debate that would never devolve into ad hominem attacks. 

Rivlin visited the US in late June to bid farewell to America's Jewish communities and political establishment. It's no coincidence that Rivlin, who remains a relatively unknown figure among the general public outside Israel (compare to Israeli prime ministers) was tapped as the one through which the Biden administration made its first official introduction to Jerusalem. It makes sense that he was the one who would go meeet Biden, and just as Rivlin over the past seven years tried to be the connecting tissue between the Right and the Left – even as he has stuck to his right-wing guns – Biden hopes that America will let him do things that none of his predecessors could do because he is seen as a uniting president in the era of coronavirus.

The Biden-Rivlin approach

The Biden-Rivlin summit in June was, more than anything else, an attempt by the Israeli leader to turn his above-the-fray aura into an actionable agenda in the truest sense of the word: safeguarding Israel's survival by forging a deep bond with Jewish leaders and by emphasizing Israel's important input before any new nuclear deal between the US and Iran is finalized. Containing Iran and ensuring the viability of American Jewry are both important on the same level because as far as he is concerned, the continued existence of the Jewish people is what Israel is all about, and this is also the goal of his Jerusalemite family has long espoused. 

Even when the Trump administration presented the Deal of the Century, Rivlin emphasized that whatever unfolds, nothing can compromise Israel's democratic and Jewish character. Rivlin, true to his convictions, tells anyone who would listen that he would never accept any deal under which Israeli Arabs would see their cities transferred to Palestinian sovereignty just so Israel's Jewish population increases its share. In all of his years as president he has always stayed true to Jabotinsky's idea of building a metaphoric Iron Wall to convince Arabs that Israel will not go anywhere, but he has been as determined to show that there is no justification for any discrimination against Israel's Arab citizens and that population transfers are just unfathomable. 

Supporting peace, but not partition

Rivlin has never believed in the two-state solution because he says it is just impractical. He believes Israel cannot afford to hand over responsibility of areas to a foreign entity because it may one day bring into those territories third elements, including Iran other players, as is the case in Syria. But what Rivlin has been adamant about is how political entities have tried to use Arab citizens as a bargaining chip that can be used as part of negotiations over Israel's permanent borders in an effort to 'Judaize' Israel.

It appears as though one of the things Rivlin is most proud of is that he has had the privilege of witnessing how the Zionist vision that Jabotinsky and many others became a reality that has succeeded even beyond our wildest dreams. But it is precisely because he is known as a straight shooter that he has managed to elicit angry responses, even when it was clear that he was speaking because he cared about the wellbeing of Israelis. Right after he was elected as president in 2014, he declared that he was leaving his political home: the Likud Party. "Now I am no longer a member of a political group nor am I a member of a movement. I am everyone's president; a man of the people," he said. "I stand before you with a great burden of responsibility and service, humble as a Jerusalem man who wants to thank you for entrusting me with this task. Long live the Israeli democracy; long live Israel." 

By declaring his departure from Likud, his unapologetic approach at taking on the government, calling for equal rights for the Arab community and his forceful condemnation of Jews who have engaged in attacks on minorities – he has been besmirched by many, including within Likud, resulting in attacks that have never been used against an Israeli president. Rivlin has shown restraint even toward those who tried to hurt his image, including ministers and senior officials who said he was conspiring to unseat then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Toward the end of his presidency, he was beset by tragedy: His wife Nechama died following a lung transplant. She was the epitome of humility, tolerance, and above-the-fray moderation. "As someone who was born and raised in an agricultural co-op (moshav), Nechama saw the beauty in connecting agriculture with social action," a new book published by the President's Residence notes. "She turned the community garden in the residence to a place where people from various sectors in Israeli society would meet, connecting them through simple gardening work. Jews, Arabs, secular and religious – they all learned the importance of working together and working the land," the book says. 

Rivlin may be leaving the President's Residence, but he will continue the work that he has started with the help of his late wife. As he said during his visit to the US in June: "A nation's strength is not measured just by its ability to handle hardships, but also with its willingness to have its various groups engage in a partnership." 

Rivlin has proved, with a single speech and by staying the course for seven years, that he can make an entire nation think. He has already found his place in history, and now, with his departure, it appears that he leaves a legacy in place by setting a new standard for how presidents should be judged: by their efforts to unite. 

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A memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers who were killed in the 2006 Second Lebanon War was held at the National Memorial Hall for Israel's Fallen on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Thursday.

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President Reuven Rivlin, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and bereaved family members were among those in attendance at the event, which saw bereaved relatives read letters written by the fallen soldiers and join together in prayer.

Speaking at the ceremony, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who said: "We went to war on a Zionist mission and out of a need to stand at the forefront and defend Israeli citizens from its enemies. In their deaths, the war's fallen brought years of quiet and deterrence, more than any other period, since Israel become a land of terrorism."

He said: "Not everything worked as requires and as expected, but the fighters' esprit de corps is what led to the impressive military achievements and created many years of deterrence and a new strategic equation that continues today."

As for military preparedness, Gantz said that "in recent years, there has been a revolution in the military, both in technological means and in the incorporation with the other arms [of the military]. We increased the scope of training, we changed the way we train for it to be focused, and we built training environments that better simulate the enemy. The ability to fight at night was upgraded. In the coming operations or Heaven forbid wars, when we need to reach deep into the enemy again, these forces, which are based both upon conscripts and reserves, will arrive immediately and with force, and will constitute a central part in the fighting. We will use them if need be, not recklessly, but with the knowledge and understanding that the military's ability to deter is necessary, existing, and ready to deploy for the missions at hand."

He said, "Of course, we wish for peace and calm, but we are willing to use our full capabilities should we be required on any front, including the Lebanese front. Attempts to sabotage the quiet on our borders have not gone unnoticed, and we are opening our eyes and acting routinely, and we are prepared for extensive activities even in an emergency."

Turning to Rivlin, who was attending the memorial ceremony for the last time in his capacity as Israel's president, Gantz said: "Time after time, you attended ceremonies to stand with the bereaved families. You were there for the wounded, both physically and mentally, many of whom from the Second Lebanon War we now embrace and are committed to. You set your home out as the home of all tribes in Israeli society. And at the same time, as a home for our dear bereaved families as well."

Gantz concluded by turning to the bereaved family members and saying: "We embrace you and honor the sacrifice you made for the State of Israel."

Speaking at the ceremony, Rivlin noted: "Fifteen years have passed since the Second Lebanon War, a war in which we lost 44 civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, and 121 IDF soldiers – the best of our fighters, who lost their lives heroically defending the residents of the north and the entire State of Israel."

Addressing the bereaved family members of fallen soldiers, Rivlin said: "There is no time for memory, no time for remembrance. You remember your loved ones all the time, every day, every hour because bereavement never ceases."

He said the 2006 war "was a war in which IDF soldiers demonstrated courage, determination, and persistence. The sacrifice and dedication of the fighters and commanders covered many times for failures that were exposed and investigated later on."

Rivlin also noted the deep sense of solidarity demonstrated by Israeli civilians during the war in his remarks.

Commenting on those soldiers who continue to carry the physical and emotional scars from the fighting, Rivlin said: "For them, the war is still going on, and it is difficult and incredibly long. I wish them a full recovery and mainly, I embrace them for their brave and difficult struggle in a war in which there is neither decorations nor medals."

As for the security situation on Israel's northern border, the president said: "We are not complacent. We have not grown addicted to the quiet from the north. We know the threat is still grave, and recent weeks have proven once again how 'quiet' is a relative and fragile term. We are aware of Hezbollah's attempts to continue to grow stronger with Iranian support and arm itself with weapons whose only purpose is to harm the State of Israel's Homefront. As I have repeatedly said to my interlocutors, presidents, prime ministers, and the heads of countries from around the world: The State of Israel will not allow Iran to establish itself in Lebanon. The State of Israel will not allow Iran to send its satellite states here, to the Middle East."

In closing, Rivlin once again turned to the bereaved families, saying: "In just a few weeks, I will end my role [as president], but my commitment to you, members of [Israel's] bereaved family, will never end. For as long as I live, I will carry you in my heart and act in your interests."

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Israeli President Reuven Rivlin appealed to Prince Charles on Tuesday to allow a critically ill child to be brought to Israel for medical treatment. In May, a British court ruled that Alta Fixsler, age 2, should be taken off life support.

"I am writing to you today on a matter of grave and urgent humanitarian importance," wrote Rivlin in a letter to the Prince of Wales.

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The court's decision, he continued, contradicted the beliefs of the child's Orthodox Jewish parents, who are also Israeli citizens, and it would be a "tragedy" if their wishes could not be respected.

"Their religious beliefs directly oppose ceasing medical treatment that could extend her life, and [they] have made arrangements for her safe transfer and continued treatment in Israel," he wrote.

Rivlin's appeal joins that of Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, who reached out to his British counterpart Matt Hancock on June 7.

The UK Board of Deputies of British Jews said in support of Edelstein's appeal on Tuesday, "We welcome Israel's offer to transfer Alta Fixsler for treatment, in accordance with her parents' wishes. We have written to the Department of Health and Social Care to ask that this be seriously considered."

In May, the UK Family Division of the High Court ruled that Alta's parents could not take their daughter to a Jerusalem hospital, agreeing with an earlier decision by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust that "there was no prospect of her ever getting better," The Jewish Chronicle reported.

The High Court justice said Alta's parents "cannot be criticized for having reached a different decision informed by the religious laws that govern their way of life, but applying the secular legal principles that I must … I cannot agree with their assessment and am required to act accordingly."

He instructed the hospital to continue with palliative care to mitigate the child's suffering.

Alta experienced a brain injury at birth and is unable to eat, drink or breathe without medical assistance. She is connected to a ventilator at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, reported The Daily Mail.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing his disappointment in the French legal system for failing to prosecute the killer of Sarah Halimi, a Jewish woman who was murdered by her neighbor in 2017.

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"I have sadly heard the decision of the court to uphold the decision of the previous courts, which ruled that the accused in the antisemitic, brutal and harrowing murder of Sarah Halimi is legally incompetent to stand trial," wrote Rivlin.

"Every effort must be made as to send a clear message that there is [no forgiveness] for acts of despicable and morbid antisemitism, and for attacking Jews on the basis of their origin and religion," the letter said.

Earlier this month, an appeal was filed against a prior ruling that saw Halimi's murderer, Kobili Traoré, evade prosecution because he was in a psychotic, "delusional" state from smoking marijuana while committing his crime.

French Jews took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest the court decision that prevented Traoré's trial.

On April 4, 2017, Traoré broke into Halimi's home.

A police report of the incident claims that Traoré yelled "Allahu Akbar" and recited a number of verses in the Quran before throwing her over the balcony of Belleville apartment, located in the east of Paris.

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Rivlin also called on Macron to "do everything possible" to send a "clear" message against "abject antisemitism and in the face of attacks against Jews because they are Jews."

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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As expected, President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday afternoon tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with trying to assemble Israel's next governing coalition, saying he has a "slightly higher chance" of succeeding than Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid.

Rivlin spent Monday in consultations with party leaders about whom he should task with forming the next government. Netanyahu received the largest number of recommendations, with 52. The candidate with the next largest number of recommendations was Lapid.

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"I get the impression, based on consultations with representatives from the parties, that neither candidate has a good chance of being able to form a government," Rivlin said at his press conference. "But I have no choice, the law requires me to select a candidate. According to the court and the law, a prime minister under indictment can continue to serve," the president noted, referring to Netanyahu.

"This was not an easy decision on a moral and ethical basis, in my mind. As I said at the beginning of my remarks, the State of Israel is not to be taken for granted. And I fear for my country. But I am doing what is required of me as president of the State of Israel, according to the law and to the ruling of the court, and realizing the will of the sovereign – the Israeli people," he said.

Netanyahu will now have 28 days to try cobbling together a coalition that can win majority support in the Knesset.

A statement from the Office of the President explained that in a situation in which an extension is needed, the president has the authority to grant him an additional 14 days.

Lapid took to Twitter immediately after Rivlin's announcement, saying: "The president fulfilled his duty and didn't have a choice, but mandating Netanyahu is a disgraceful mark of shame that stains Israel and makes a mockery of our status as a law-abiding country."

The last MKs to meet with Rivlin on Monday were representatives of MK Mansour Abbas' Ra'am party, who eventually decided to recommend no one.

"We want to see a government formed," Abbas said, adding that "We will take a positive approach with any candidate picked to form a government. The president can see Ra'am as more leverage on the way to the next government."

"Ra'am is not recommending anyone, but Ra'am is willing to positively work with anyone tasked with forming the next government," Abbas stressed.

Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope party also decided to refrain from recommending any one candidate.

Mk Yifat Shasha-Biton said that New Hope had "made an effort" to get Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and Lapid to "reach an understanding."

According to Shasha-Biton, "Each of them recommended himself and we cannot recommend either. We are in a complicated reality, after three [previous] elections." She added that New Hope wanted Rivlin to invite Bennett and Lapid to a meeting with the aim of encouraging a political partnership between the two.

However, Rivlin made it clear he would not intervene in the political process.

"What you want me to do, I see as something with which a president must not interfere," he said.

MK Zeev Elkin told him, "There is a chance. I'll tell both the candidates, Bennett and Lapid, that our recommendation is in their hands, for the sake of a government for change."

Shasha-Biton appealed to Bennett and Lapid, saying "What we need now is a uniting government for change. Please do it."

Elkin said, "We worked to lead to a change in Israel. It's possible. It's within reach. Neither Lapid nor Bennett can form a government on their own. Any arrangement they reach will already have secured our recommendation."

Chairman of the Joint Arab List MK Ayman Odeh said in the meeting between representatives of his party and Rivlin that this time, the party would not serve as the tie-breaker.

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"We oppose Netanyahu's path. We are not in Sa'ar and [Avigdor] Lieberman's 'bloc for change.' We are against Netanyahu because of his political and civil policies. We looked for a way to exert influence. We met with Lapid, whose statements about wanting the Joint Arab List in the coalition we appreciate. We told him that if he could get 55 recommendations, we would be honored to look into it. A day later, he said he couldn't do it alone, only with Bennett. If Yair Lapid has a chance of forming a government without the Right, we'll consider joining. Since then, he's changed direction. We aren't part of the deal between Sa'ar, Bennett, and Lapid," Odeh said.

However, MK Ahmad Tibi, who heads the Ta'al party, which holds two of the Joint Arab List's six mandates, said Monday that if Sa'ar would recommend Lapid to form the government, he would do the same. If both Sa'ar and Tibi had recommended Lapid, the Yesh Atid leader would have secured 53 recommendations compared to 52 for Netanyahu.

Tibi told Rivlin that he had hoped to come into the meeting as the tiebreaker, but that Ta'al could not recommend Bennett. The party eventually recommended no one.

The Religious Zionist party recommended Netanyahu. Leader of the far-Right Otzma Yehudit, who ran on the joint ticket with MK Bezalel Smotrich, said that the Right had received votes equivalent to 65 mandates, and he believed that "the person who should be tapped is whoever got the most votes on the Right. The people of Israel don't want a fifth election. If the president gives Netanyahu the mandate, I believe a right-wing government will be formed."

Earlier Monday, Lieberman recommended Lapid. "For us, it's very simple, a promise is a promise," he told Rivlin, adding that "What we said before the election still holds. We said we would recommend the chairman of the biggest party in the bloc to replace Netanyahu, and therefore our recommendation goes to Yair Lapid."

Representatives of Bennett's Yamina party recommended him. Rivlin asked MK Ayelet Shaked and MK Matan Kahana to explain how Bennett could possibly form a government if he were given the mandate. Rivlin said they were recommending their party leader knowing full well he could not be tapped and said that it was possible that he would transfer the responsibility for the decision to the Knesset.

Labor recommended Lapid. Party representative MK Omer Bar-Lev said, "We aren't ruling out any party other than Netanyahu." Labor MK Emilie Moatti added, "We don't reject the Likud, the issue is Netanyahu in power."

Blue and White also recommended Lapid, saying "We cannot join a government under Netanyahu."

Yesh Atid recommended Lapid.

The Likud threw its support behind Netanyahu. Representatives of the Likud were the first to meet with Rivlin on Monday.

United Torah Judaism recommended Netanyahu. Party representative Uri Maklev asked Rivlin to intervene to establish a right-wing government, and the president told him that he could not intervene in the political process. Shas also recommended Netanyahu, saying they believed he was the only person who could secure 65 mandates.

As of Tuesday morning, there was still no candidate with 61 mandates.

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President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday called on the French government and other European countries to oppose the International Criminal Court's decision to launch an investigation into the IDF. 

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In a letter published in French daily Le Figaro ahead of his visit to Paris, Rivlin appealed to President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders to stand by the Jewish state in the face of the "morally and legally bankrupt" ICC decision. 

The president stressed the importance of international law and the misuse of it by the ICC, and promised that Israel would stand by its soldiers, who protected their country when it was needed. 

"The decision of the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor to investigate Israel for possible war crimes is a misapplication of international law. A court that was established to deal with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community is being used as a political weapon, and it is a morally and legally bankrupt decision," the letter read. 

"For us, these are not just abstract legal questions. The soldiers and civilians that the ICC threatens to investigate are our children and grandchildren, our neighbors and friends. We will do everything in our power to protect them, just as they protected us when asked to."

Rivlin noted that the ICC ruling has undermined the chances of Israelis and Palestinian finding "common ground," as both sides are unlikely to engage in serious negotiations until the investigation is over, which might take years.

The president finished the letter with the words, "I call on the friends of Israel and the Palestinians, in France and abroad, to state clearly, once and for all, that the road to peace runs directly between Jerusalem and Ramallah.

"Detours through the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva are counterproductive to peace and undermine the chances of an agreement."

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The world must speak out in unison against Iran's nuclear aspirations and support for terrorist groups in the Middle East, President Reuven Rivlin said in Berlin on Tuesday at a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

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Rivlin, who will also visit Austria and France to meet with their respective presidents, hailed the US-brokered Abraham Accords for bolstering the moderate voices on the region.

The president is being accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who will brief European presidents on security matters

The president stressed Israel's appreciation for Germany's commitment to Israel's security, regional stability and the important strategic relations between the countries, but singled out Iran as trying to undermine Middle East stability and using "nuclear blackmail" to secure the removal of economic sanctions.

He added that Israel attaches great importance to setting out red lines for Iranian conduct that will prevent further development of its nuclear program.

Rivlin expressed hope that the dramatic changes to the region's geopolitical landscape would have an impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well, triggering a new round of peace talks. He said the COVID-19 pandemic proved that borders are artificial and that cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians is crucial since their lives are inextricably linked together.

The Israeli leader also called on the international community to support Israel in its stand against the International Criminal Court probe of alleged Israeli war crimes in Judea and Samaria and Gaza

He called the ICC investigation a "scandalous" decision and thanked Germany for opposing it.

"We are proud of our soldiers, our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters. They protect us from our enemies and we will protect them from this decision," the president said.

Kohavi said Israeli soldiers "do everything" to avoid harming innocent civilians.

"The fundamental difference between us and our enemies is that while we do everything we can to prevent harming innocent civilians, our enemies do everything they can to harm our civilians, who are entirely innocent. We are in a new era of warfare, which is highly complex, and the ICC must adapt itself to the new reality," Kohavi said.

He also told Steinmeier:  "Your soldiers could face the same problems in other parts of the world, and so your support now is very important for us."

Rivlin vowed that Israel will do everything possible to ensure the return of its civilians and soldiers' remains held by the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group.

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A pilot who flew Pope Francis on his historic flight to Iraq on Friday relayed a message to Israeli air control addressed to President Reuven Rivlin.

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Israel allowed Francis' plane to cross its airspace en route from Rome to Baghdad.

"To His Excellency Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel. Entering Israeli airspace on my Apostolic journey to Iraq, I send warm greetings to you and the people of the nation," Francis said. "Praying that almighty God will bless you all with His gift of harmony and peace. Franciscus Papa."

Israeli air traffic control thanked the pilot and promised to convey the message to the president, who said he was "deeply moved by the kind words from the Pope," with whom he is "in close and warm contact."

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On Saturday, Francis held a historic meeting with Iraq's top Shiite cleric and visited the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham to condemn violence in the name of God as "the greatest blasphemy."

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

The post Flying over Israel, Pope Francis sends greetings to President Rivlin appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.