Isaac Herzog sworn in as Israel’s eleventh president

7 July 2021, 5:06 pm

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President Isaac Herzog (L) is sworn in at the Knesset in Jerusalem on July 7, 2021. To his right are Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy and outgoing President Reuven Rivlin. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Isaac Herzog has been sworn in as the country’s eleventh president. A shofar is blown amid a traditional call of “Long live the president.”

At the ceremony, Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy says: “You are entering the post during a difficult period, in which Israeli society is more divided than ever. This is an existential threat for the State of Israel, a greater threat than Iran’s nuclear program. I am hopeful you will be able to lead a new and different dialogue in Israeli society.”

Outgoing President Reuven Rivlin thanks Israelis “for the privilege to serve you.” He once again calls on the nation to rise above the friction between its disparate tribes in the greater interests of the country.

“I’m going back to being a father and grandfather,” he says.