Worried Rivlin: Not obvious Israel to last forever

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Israel President Reuven Rivlin said this week that it is "not obvious that we are in a position that Israel is a fact and will last forever.”

In what might be called Israel’s version an FDR “fireside chat," Rivlin, 75, sat down with English-speaking reporters in advance of his first Israel Independennce Day as head of state, and laid out both his vision and his concerns for Israel’s future. 

Rivlin articulates what many regular Israelis may feel — but how many other world leaders question the future existence of their state? 

“For me, until now, it’s not obvious that we are in a position that Israel is a fact and will last forever,” he said, noting that he is routinely moved to tears by the raising of the Israeli flag and the singing of the national anthem.

As president, Rivlin does not mince his words, and even as he emphasizes his pride in Israel as a democracy in which all Israeli citizens have the same rights and responsibilities, he adds that the Jewish people “has the right to define itself as a nation, not only as a religion … and it’s difficult to explain that to Arab citizens. They are asking whether they are part of Israel and they have a conflict with their loyalty, whether it’s to the state or to their people, and we are in a sort of tragedy.”

Several times during the free-ranging discussion that took place at the president’s official residence, Rivlin referred to the situation of Israel’s Arab minority as “a tragedy.” 

Rivlin, a seasoned Likud party politician and scion of a prominent family that traces its roots in Jerusalem back eight generations, took office last July, and the chat with reporters revealed what has been on the new president’s mind over these past months as well as the themes that will mark his term in office.

The tone of the Rivlin presidency is markedly different than that of Shimon Peres, his predecessor. Peres was seen as a senior statesman of the world, counting presidents and celebrities amongst his admirers, while Rivlin displays a more down-to-earth, man-on-the-street demeanor.

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