In one of their many points of friction, presidential hopeful and Knesset member Reuven Rivlin heard that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara accused him of involvement in the choice of journalist Rino Tzror as one of the torch lighters at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony. The ceremony panel that picked the veteran, respected journalist explained that through his work Tzror “serves as a mouthpiece for those citizens who feel they are on the margins of society in Israel and raises pointed human dilemmas and painful social problems.”

This explanation did not impress the Netanyahus. It was made clear to Rivlin that Tzror is a red rag for them, because he has been leading militant battles against Netanyahu since his days as finance minister. 

Rivlin tried to explain that he doesn’t know Tzror personally and that he had nothing to do with promoting his candidacy, but he did not stand a chance. He was told that Mrs. Netanyahu did not take kindly to the honors lavished on Tzror, and he was perceived as the main suspect in the case.

This anecdote, which Rivlin’s people recalled at the height of yet another day of battle in the cruel war for the state presidency, joins additional incidents and events from Rivlin’s years as speaker of the Knesset — incidents that have turned him into a “troublemaker” for the prime minister.