ISRAEL KNESSET TO PICK A NEW PRESIDENT

Israel's parliament will pick a successor to President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday, with an activist known for her faith pitted against an ex-opposition leader with an elite pedigree.

The winner will take over the mostly ceremonial role on July 9, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Ahead of the election, the Israeli media played up the differences between the two candidates. Miriam Peretz is a teacher born in Casablanca who immigrated to Israel as a child.

Two of her sons were killed in armed conflict and she is seen as the more humble candidate. She is respected by many for her faith.

Isaac Herzog, who is considered the favorite, is secular, was born in Tel Aviv and has long been involved in politics. He became chairperson of the Jewish Agency aid organization, which deals with immigration to Israel, among other topics, in 2018.

His father, Chaim Herzog, served as the president of Israel from 1983 to 1993.

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