Reuven Rivlin Israel President
Reuven Rivlin, a veteran member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, has been elected Israel's president. GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images

Reuven Rivlin, a fierce opponent of a Palestinian state, has been voted Israel's 10th president by the country's parliament or Knesset.

The veteran lawmaker with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing ruling Likud party beat his rival Meir Sheetrit 63 to 53 in a runoff vote.

Rivlin, 74, will be ceremoniously sworn in as president at the end of July.

He is to replace outgoing Shimon Peres, 90, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who brought the position international prestige.

If Peres has been an outspoken proponent of peace with the Palestinians; Rivlin, a popular former parliament speaker, has opposed a two state solution to the conflict and is a strong backer of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

"I have gone through many steps. Today this is a very central one where I can end one path and start an additional one," Rivlin told Army Radio, ahead of the vote.

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