The Presidency in Israel | Abstract

The president of Israel is the ceremonial head of state—a primarily representative and symbolic position. The president symbolizes Mamlakhtiut, i.e., devotion to the state over sectarian and party-political interests. The presidency enjoys a high level of public trust compared to other state institutions. 

The present study reviews the functions of the president in parliamentary democracies, describes the institution of the presidency in Israel, including its legal status and the procedure for election to the position, and explores in detail the president’s formal and informal roles, some of them ceremonial and others substantive (discretionary). Lastly, it presents recommendations for more far-reaching changes in the president’s powers, conditioned on a wide-ranging reorganization of the relations between the branches of government.