President or President? The list closed at midnight: Yitzhak Herzog versus Miriam Peretz

May 20, 2021   

Tonight (Wednesday) at midnight, the list of candidates in the race for the presidency of the state was closed - and two stood at the starting line: Agency Chairman Yitzhak Herzog and Israel Prize laureate Miriam Peretz. The secret elections will be held in the Knesset plenum on 22 Sivan - June 2. Herzog was the first to officially announce today that he would run for the position of the 11th president of the state, and not long after that he submitted to the Knesset Secretariat the candidacy form signed by 27 MKs from all factions in the house - when the number required to submit a candidacy is only 10 MKs. A few hours later, Miriam Peretz also announced her candidacy, and her two sons, Avichai and Eliasaf, submitted their mother's candidacy form to Knesset Secretary Yardena Meller. In a message she posted on Facebook, Peretz wrote: "The difficult days we are all going through have led me to make a decision that I have thought about a lot in recent months and weeks, to run for the position of president of the state. "This is not how I imagined announcing my candidacy for the position of President of the State of Israel. Fate and the schedule dictated by the Knesset require me to submit my candidacy with the sounds of missiles in the background, and the IDF together with the other security forces working to protect the citizens of the country. But precisely in this difficult time, when our country is being tested, this is the time for unity. In recent years, I have been traveling around the country, and I have been privileged to meet with Israeli society in all its diversity. In these meetings, I heard your voice calling me to run for a position that I never dreamed of for myself." Herzog, who is considered to have the better chances, wrote in a statement he published: "Citizens of Israel, our good country has been under attack and burning for many days. I would like to send my deepest condolences to the bereaved families, wishes of recovery and healing for the wounded, strength to the IDF and the security forces and all rescue workers, and a special hug to the residents of the south. In this moment of crisis, we must all stand up for the country. "Today is the deadline set by law for submitting candidacies for the eleventh presidency of the State of Israel. I believe that the next President of the State of Israel will be required to reconnect the rift between us; to mark a goal and chart a path beyond tomorrow; to plan and build the next chapter in the story of all of us: the vision for the State of Israel in the 100th year of its independence; to preserve and nurture the bridge that connects us, who live in Zion, and the Jewish people in the Diaspora; to strengthen Israel's international standing; to defend its good name in the family of nations and to combat hatred of Israel and its haters; To preserve the common life of all of us here and the pillars of our democracy and to ensure that every citizen of the country - of every religion, gender, nationality or age, will feel and be a part of and equal.'' Herzog added: ''There is no doubt that reality is complex, and we may not be able to connect all the cracks, but we can - and must - reduce tensions, lower the walls and bring the distances between us closer, with love, brotherhood, peace and companionship within us. ''Therefore, with sacred reverence and seriousness, I announce my intention to run for the position of the eleventh President of the State of Israel. My candidacy will be presented today to the Twenty-fourth Knesset, and I will ask for the support of its members in the elections to be held in two weeks. "My personal family history and the many years of public experience that I bring with me have taught me never to take the miracle of the existence of the State of Israel for granted. The commitment to preserving Israel is the inheritance of my ancestors, the focus of my life and the legacy for my children, and one prayer: 'Bless us, G-d, all of us as one, together in the light of Your face.'".