Presidency of Yisrael

President of Yisrael
נשיא מדינת ישראל
Coat of Arms of Yisrael
Incumbent Yitzchok Katz since February 3rd, 2020
His Royal Majesty's Government of Yisrael
Style	Mr. President (formal) His Excellency (international correspondence)
Status	Head of Government
Residence	Presidential Palace
Nominator	Political parties
Appointer	Electoral college
Term length	Four years, renewable (once)
Constituting instrument	1920 Constitution
Precursor	Chancellor of Yisrael (Autocracy regime) (de facto) Prime Minister of Yisrael (1922-41) (de jure)
Formation	March 3, 1952
Salary	$200,000

The President of Yisrael (Modern Hebrew: Nesi Malchus Yisra'el; נשיא מדינת ישראל) is the executive head of government. The president is the chief diplomat of the nation.

During the reign of King Yaakov II (1975-2020), the monarch's self-imposed absence from executive affairs arguably transformed the presidency additionally into status of being a quasi-co-head of state of Yisrael, sharing a number of executive duties with the King. However, with the Hezekian Reaction, those head of state functions have been returned to the monarchy's purview. Additionally, from 1952 until 2020, the President was the effective commander-in-chief of the Royal Yisraeli Defense Forces by virtue of being bestowed as the Supreme Commander by the King under the 1952 Acts. However, under the reign of Hezekiah III of Yisrael (2020 - present), the 1952 Acts were declared null and void and the full "C-in-C" powers retained by the monarch, ending the President's Supreme Commander status.

The power of the president includes overseeing the proper operation and administration of government and the nation's law and regulations, the appointment of government officials, including diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers, and signing treaties with foreign powers with the advice and consent of the Royal Yisraeli Knesset. The president may grant pardons or commutations. The president holds final power over foreign affairs in his office's institutional role as chief diplomat, and given Yisrael's competitive 2.5 party politics, oversees and guides the direction of public policy in both domestic and foreign affairs. The President and his family is protected by the Presidential Guard, an independent royal agency that is legally firmly under his control.

The president is indirectly elected by the winner of the electoral college for a term of four years. The first president was Asher Berkowitz (1952-1960), who served two terms. In total, there have been sixteen presidents. One president was killed in office (Boaz Benayoun). Two other presidents resigned before the end of their full term (Adom Greenbaum and Naor Hillel). The current President is Yitzchok Katz, who has served since February 3rd, 2020.

As of 2020, there have been 8 Constitutional Liberal, 7 Royalist Conservative, and 1 Independent presidencies.

Powers and duties

Domestic affairs

The primary responsibility of the president is to uphold and safeguard the Royal Constitution. As a derivative to that, the officeholder must oversee the administration of government, ensuring that duly-passed laws are executed and implemented, and that public officers and subordinate agencies are in full compliance with constitutional and legal parameters.

The Kingdom of Yisrael is a presidential system, which grants enormous political and legal power to the holder of the office. The president appoints his Cabinet of government ministers, as well as a litany of senior staff and agency officials, diplomatic and regulatory officers, as well as nominating judges to the courts.

The President also has the power to issue presidential decrees that, as long as they do not run afoul of any constitutional or legal limits, are in full effect during the course of his term. As per the Royal Reform Acts, the president must address the Knesset once a year to give a "state of the kingdom" speech.

The president retains a powerful veto option that he may exercise on any bill passed by the Knesset at his discretion, though he may be overruled on a royal counter-veto by the King. The monarch, however, rarely uses this power in the post-1951 era.

Lastly, the officeholder may issue a pardon or commutation of any federal criminal charge or conviction at his leisure.

Foreign affairs

The foreign relations of Yisrael are a chief responsibility of the president. Institutionally, the President is the nation's "chief diplomat." He is not, however, considered the "national representative," a role assigned to the King.

The President signs treaties, appoints diplomats, and charts the foreign policy of the government.

Formerly, he served as the effective commander-in-chief of the armed forces on a daily basis due to the then-obligatory bestowing of the title of 'Supreme Commander' by the King, who was the nominal commander-in-chief. However, since January 2020, the President has not been designated as the Supreme Commander, ending his role in this function.

Selection process

Eligibility

The Constitution outlines 3 principal qualifications to serve as President. To serve as President, one must:

• be a citizen of Yisrael;
• be at least 36 years old;
• and be a resident continuously for the last 12 years.

Election

Main articles: Electoral College in Yisrael and Politics of Yisrael

Election of the president is regulated by the Royal Yisraeli Election Commission.

The President of Yisrael is indirectly elected by an electoral college. The President must be the duly-selected nominee of a recognized Yisraeli political party. The President must be the plurality majority winner of 97 Electoral Votes, or, in the event that there is no winner of at least 97 EVs, the winner is selected by a majority in the Knesset. After a day of verification of the vote count, the winner takes office the first Monday after next, usually 5-8 days after Election Day.

List of presidents

Main article: List of heads of government of Yisrael

Living former presidents

As of 2024, there are 6 living former presidents:

• Living former presidents
• 

  Binyamin Schwartz
  served 1/4/1976 - 1/5/1984
  born 1937 (age 87)

• 

  Michoel Citron
  served 1/5/1984 - 1/20/1988
  born 1941 (age 83)

• 

  Kabi Arad
  served 1/6/1992 - 1/22/1996
  born 1948 (age 76)

• 

  Ariel Halevi
  served 6/3/2002 - 1/25/2004
  born 1963 (age 61)

• 

  Eitan Herzog
  served 1/25/2004 - 1/30/2012
  born 1960 (age 64)

• 

  Noah Feldman
  served 1/30/2012 - 2/3/2020
  born 1959 (age 65)

See also

• Government of Yisrael
• Electoral College in Yisrael
• Politics of Yisrael
• Presidential Guard (Yisrael)