In honor of Israel’s 75th Independence Day, Israel National News sat down with the nation’s President, Isaac Herzog, for a special exclusive interview.
With the hot-button issue in the country currently being the Israeli government’s judicial reform plan and the controversy surrounding it, we were unable to avoid asking the President, who is leading the efforts to bridge between the sides, to discuss it.
Herzog prefaces his words by expressing his pride in the nation, “I think we have an incredible country, an incredible people, with enormous inner light, that does so much good in Israel and to the world.”
An opportunity for a constitutional moment
The President emphasizes that political controversy is not exclusive to Israel: “You have readers in America, they know that there are always debates and there’s always the danger of rift, and especially in modern times tensions are high. But I actually see an opportunity in this debate: first and foremost, it’s an opportunity to air out differences and see how people get to know each other,” Herzog explains optimistically.
“Secondly, it is the first time when the entire nation speaks about constitutional issues that can lead to a constitutional moment,” Herzog adds and stresses that he is not naive, but he is optimistic.
As mentioned, President Herzog is at the center of talks between the coalition and the opposition to reach a compromise concerning the reform. He shares with us a piece of the goings on in the discussions at his home, “There’s goodwill, and there’s a positive attitude in the room, and things are discussed frankly and honestly, with no wish-wash. But they are being discussed as a debate should take place, as a dialogue should take place – all the hard issues on the table trying to find the amicable solution and the right formula to move forward.”
When asked if he feels optimistic about the process, Herzog said, “I’m definitely giving it a chance,” and added that he believes that the alternative is much worse and all the parties concerned and their leaders know that the alternative is much worse.
According to the President, the country is going through a challenging moment because it “touches the core issues of the way we live together. There’s a system here we believe in democracy.” He adds that he believes that Israel should clearly define the boundaries between the three branches of government.
United against our enemies
In Israel, Memorial Day for fallen IDF soldiers and terror victims proceeds Independence Day. President Herzog says he could not live without that anomaly. “Think it’s the uniqueness of the state of Israel, I think there’s no other country like that in the world, and I’m speaking very passionately when I say: I love this nation dearly, and I think that it’s a nation that is a great source of pride.”
The President also had a message for Israel’s enemies. “Sometimes our enemies celebrate our divisiveness, our quarrels they don’t read us clearly, they miscalculate the fact that we are a debating nation it’s part of our genes as well. And they read wrongly that even when we have the most heated democratic demonstrations and debates. When it comes to fighting our enemies, we are all together, and they should not be mistaken.” He adds that he sees dangerous forces lurking in the area, predominantly Iran. “They have to understand clearly, they will not win in any way, we will fight them till the bitter end, and we shall overcome them.”