Italian President Giorgio Napolitano was recently awarded the prestigious Dan David Prize by Tel Aviv University for his dedication to advancing the cause of parliamentary democracy. The President was cited by the prize committee for his "courage and intellectual integrity" and for playing a crucial role in "healing the wounds of the Cold War in Europe."

While in Israel to receive the award, President Napolitano informed IDI President Arye Carmon of his decision to contribute $25,000 of his prize money to IDI’s research efforts. He earmarked his donation to support IDI’s Forum for Political Reform, which is headed by Prof. Gideon Rahat. Dedicated to strengthening Israel's parliamentary democracy, the Forum recently submitted its first round of recommendations the Knesset.

Prof. Rahat expressed his delight at this honor, saying that President Napolitano’s gesture expressed recognition of the need to combine academic research on politics with political activity and appreciation of IDI’s ongoing efforts to strengthen and improve Israel’s parliamentary democracy.

IDI extends its gratitude to President Napolitano, the Italian Embassy, and the Dan David Prize for this honor and congratulates Prof. Rahat on this recognition of the exceptional work of his research team.