Rivlin, the best president Israel could expect in such fraught times

ANSHEL PFEFFER: Now in his last day of office, Rivlin reminded Israelis that no matter what Netanyahu did, a superior public discourse was always possible

HOW WILL REUVEN Rivlin, Israel’s 10th president whose seven-year term ends on Wednesday, be remembered?

Rivlin began his presidency in 2014 with an almost debilitating handicap. Not only had Netanyahu done everything in his power to prevent him from being elected; he had always seen his own role as prime minister in presidential terms, and was determined to usurp Rivlin from the position of “father of the nation.”

The roots of Netanyahu’s enmity toward Rivlin are worth a lengthy piece in their own right. Their mothers were childhood friends in Petach Tikva. Rivlin, who is 10 years Netanyahu’s senior, claims to remember seeing the infant Bibi take his first steps.

Over five decades later, Rivlin would support Netanyahu’s leadership at one of its lowest points: when Likud lost the 2006 election, slumping to just 12 seats. But Rivlin as Knesset speaker was to prove too independent for Netanyahu’s taste, and his election as president was a rare rebellion of Likudniks against their leader’s will.

It’s probably not fair on Rivlin that his presidency has to be seen through the prism of Netanyahu’s premiership. But those are the parameters of the job.

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