Next summer, Knesset members will gather to elect a new president for the State of Israel, and Yehudah Glick will be one of their options for replacing President Reuven Rivlin.
In addition to Isaac Herzog, who will likely stand for election, former Knesset member Glick is now also declaring his candidacy for the position."I made the decision that I am applying for the presidency of the state. I want to be the next president of the State of Israel," he declared.
In an interview with Yehudah Schlesinger of Israel HaYom, Glick declared that, during these difficult times, he "would expect that we will put all things aside and become united. Instead, there are clashes all day, ultra-Orthodox against secular, 'Balfourists' against 'Bibists', academics against manual workers. Even the struggle between the periphery and kibbutziniks is back."
Regarding the desperate situation Glick is talking about, he decided to undertake "his life mission" and try to become the next president of the State of Israel.
"I feel that I have the ability to do it. I do not want to sound like a magician, but precisely because I don't feel sublime or brought up above the people, I can do this job well. "
Glick does not hesitate to criticize Rivlin and his "four tribes" concept, saying that the current president "forgot two big tribes - the traditional and the Diaspora Jewry."
"There are a lot of people who are not part of the tribes the president mentioned, they are not Arabs, ultra-Orthodox, religious or secular. A large part of the public did not connect with it, Rivlin became the president of a half-nation, and if there is a president of a half-nation, then there is no need for a president. We have enough arguments and wars."
Regarding his chances of being elected, Glick says: "So far I have met with about 40 MKs ultra-Orthodox, secular, left-wing, right-wing and Arab.
"I have heard from many of them a realistic assessment that this Knesset will not elect the next president - because we are on the way to elections. You hear it from both Likud and Blue and White members.
"I can say that I received encouragement, although not everyone said they would support me, but I received encouragement, both from people who are deep on the right and from those who are deeply rooted on the left."
On a possible confrontation with former Knesset member Herzog, and Miriam Peretz, Glick said that "Buzi is a good man who does amazing work in the Jewish Agency, and it would be a shame to stop it" and that he "appreciates" Miriam Peretz, but that he didn't "hear from her that she meets people in the Knesset," adding that "of course, I have no bad words to say about her." Glick continued: "I will try to convince my friends that I have advantages over her, I think I have advantages of Miriam Peretz and Buzi Herzog together."
"I have no secrets. I am an open and exposed person," he concluded, explaining that "everything they tried to throw at me, get dirty on me, throw mud at me - is already known and familiar."
Glick, who is known for right-wing views and some controversial activism related to the Temple Mount, was beaten by various people in the house of mourning, including reportedly being thrown down the stairs.
In 2014, Glick survived an assassination attempt by another east Jerusalem man. The suspect was killed by police while resisting arrest.
Glick has had run-ins with police in connection with his activism.