The president's fundamental role within the machinery of Israel's
uncodified constitution is to "...stand at the head of the State", representing the state of Israel abroad and fostering national unity at home. In this capacity, the president personifies the Israeli state, sanctions the decisions of legitimate constitutional authorities, and guarantees the execution of the public will. Put another way, the presidency serves as a national symbol that seeks to reinforce the core values of the state and to give a voice to the diversity of Israeli society in the performance of its official functions. In these respects, the powers of the president of Israel are generally equivalent to those held by heads of state in other parliamentary democracies and are largely dictated by
Basic Law: The Presidency, which was passed in 1964. The Basic Law: The Government also makes provision for the powers of the president in relation to Government formation. Likewise, most presidential powers are either exercised in accordance with the strictures of the Basic Laws or on the binding
advice of the Government. Indeed, most presidential acts require the countersignature of the prime minister or another minister designated thereby to have legal effect. Correspondingly, the presidency occupies a largely ceremonial role in the conduct of state business. Nevertheless, these constitutional limitations do not extend to the exercise of those discretionary functions comprising the president's
reserve powers. The presidency enjoys
immunity from both civil suit and criminal prosecution. Thus, the president is
inviolable before the courts of law for any matter concerned with the performance of his or her official functions. The purpose of this substantive immunity is to guarantee the institutional independence of the president from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Routine functions The president signs bills passed by the Knesset into law, except those bills that pertain to the president's powers, and ratifies international or bilateral treaties approved by the Knesset. Likewise, the president is responsible for appointing a wide array of public officials, including judges, the governor of the
Bank of Israel, the president of
Magen David Adom, the president of the
Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and members of the Council on Higher Education, the National Academy of Science, the Broadcasting Authority, the Authority to Rehabilitate Prisoners, the Chief Rabbinical Council and the
Wolf Foundation. Judges are appointed by the president pursuant to the nominations of the
Judicial Selection Committee. All other presidential appointments are made on the advice of the Government.
Reserve powers In addition to routine functions exercised on the advice of the Government or in accordance with the strictures of the Basic Laws, the president enjoys personal discretion in matters of Government formation, parliamentary dissolution, and granting pardons. These functions comprise the reserve powers of the presidency.
Formation of the Government The president's most important power, in practice, is to lead the process of forming a Government. Israel's
electoral system and
fractured political landscape make it all but impossible for one party to govern alone, let alone win an outright majority of Knesset seats. After each election, the president consults with party leaders to determine who is most likely to command a majority in the Knesset. Following such consultations, the president assigns a Knesset member the task of forming a Government. If the nominee is successful in forming a Government that can command the confidence of the Knesset, then said Knesset member becomes the
prime minister. If a nominee fails to form a Government, then the president assigns the task anew. If a government is not formed within the timeframe stipulated in
Basic Law: The Government, then the president dissolves the Knesset and calls for fresh elections.
Dissolution of the Knesset The prime minister may request, by virtue of section 29 (a) of Basic Law: The Government, that the president dissolve the Knesset whenever the Government has lost its majority and is incapable of functioning. The exercise of this authority by the president serves to prevent a prime minister from
abusing their power – namely, beating the Knesset into submission through multiple
snap elections.
Presidential clemency The president has broad power to pardon, reduce, or commute the sentences of both soldiers and civilians, including to refuse requests for such clemency. The president reaches a decision regarding the prerogative of clemency at his or her own discretion, after receiving information from the applicants, requesting the opinion of other parties, and consulting the
minister of justice or the
minister of defense, as the case may be. Each Israeli president adopts a different approach to how they handle clemency, which influences their decision making.
Other activities The president confers the dignity of
Righteous Among the Nations on the recommendation of
Yad Vashem, presents the
Wolf Prize on the recommendation of the Wolf Foundation, and awards the
Presidential Medal of Honor, the President's Fund for Outstanding Doctoral Students, and the Presidential Award for Volunteerism in his absolute discretion. The President also participates in the awarding of the
Israel Prize, which is held annually on
Yom Ha'atzmaut. Moreover, the president serves as the keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies of the half-yearly
Knesset conference, as well as at the annual official ceremonies for
Yom Hazikaron and
Yom HaShoah. ==Presidential backgrounds==