The U.K. Guardian named Israel President Reuven Rivlin one of its Heroes of 2014, calling him " Israel’s conscience, challenging racism and standing up for Palestinian rights."

He's an "unlikely hero," given his status as a member of the right-wing Likud Party and a backer of "swallowing up the occupied territories that ought to form an independent Palestinian state," Guardian reporter Jonathan Freedland wrote.

The writer also cited Rivlin's opposition to a Netanyahu administration proposal for a Jewish-state bill that "would enshrine discrimination against Israel’s 1.7 million Arab citizens, denying them the national rights accorded to Jews."

"Rivlin’s office may be ceremonial," Freedland wrote. "[His] stand is anything but."