Interim and Acting President of Israel facts for kids
In Israel, there are two special temporary jobs: the Interim President and the Acting President. These jobs are created by Israel's main laws, called the Basic Law. They are different! An Interim President steps in when the President's job is empty. An Acting President helps when the President is still in office but can't do their duties for a short time.
What is an Interim President?
The Basic Law explains what happens if the President's job becomes empty. This can happen if the President passes away, resigns, or is removed from office. In such cases, the Speaker of the Knesset (who leads Israel's parliament) becomes the Interim President.
The Interim President keeps their role as Speaker of the Knesset. They serve in this temporary presidential role until the Knesset chooses a new President.
Here are some people who have served as Interim President:
- Yosef Sprinzak (November 9 – December 8, 1953)
- Kadish Luz (April 23 – May 21, 1963)
- Avraham Burg (July 13 – August 1, 2000)
- Dalia Itzik (July 1 – July 15, 2007)
What is an Acting President?
When the President is still in office but can't do their job for a short time, the Speaker of the Knesset becomes the Acting President. This happens if the President is traveling outside Israel. It also happens if the President is temporarily unable to carry out their duties for other reasons.
For example, Dalia Itzik served as Acting President when President Moshe Katzav was temporarily unable to fulfill his duties. This was the most recent time someone served as Acting President for a reason other than the President being abroad.
In February 2007, Majalli Wahabi briefly became Israel's Acting President. This happened because President Moshe Katzav was on leave, and Dalia Itzik was traveling abroad. This made Majalli Wahabi the first non-Jewish person (he is Druze) to act as Israel's head of state.
