Former Labour party head Itzhak Herzog was sworn in as Israel's president today and pledged to use the role to try to heal deep divisions within Israeli society.
In a ceremony in the Knesset, Herzog embraced outgoing president Reuven Rivlin before taking the oath of office to applause from lawmakers, beginning a seven-year term.
"From here, I will go to Israel's presidential residence and begin a journey between the rifts and chasms of Israeli society. A journey that aims to find the unifier within the differences, the unifier between the rifts, a journey designed to rediscover us," Herzog, 60, said.
First elected to parliament in 2003, Herzog led the left-wing Labour party and held several portfolios in coalition governments. His most recent public post was as head of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
A lawyer, Herzog is the son of the late Israeli president Chaim Herzog, who also served as his country's ambassador to the United Nations.
Concluding his speech, Herzog vowed to fight antisemitism, strive for peace between Israel and its neighbors, and help in the "fight against Israel's strategic threats, chiefly Iran's nuclear program".