Internal Affairs Minister of Israel

Israel

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The Interior Minister (Hebrew: שר הפנים‎, Sar HaPnim), also known as the Minister of Internal Affairs is head of the Israeli Ministry of Interior and an important portfolio in the cabinet. The current Interior Minister is Eli Yishai of Shas. It should not be confused with the Internal Security Minister.

The position is often demanded by avowedly religious or secular parties as it allows them to control religious councils and planning (including the building of settlements), as well as religion and state issues such as civil marriage and immigration (which is affected by the Who is a Jew? debate). In recent years it has been held by Shas, an ultra-orthodox party, as well as Shinui and Yisrael BaAliyah, both secularist.

There is also occasionally a Deputy Minister of the Interior.

List of Interior Ministers

Name	Party	Governments	Dates in office
Yitzhak Gruenbaum	Independent	Provisional	14 May 1948 – 10 March 1949
Haim-Moshe Shapira	United Religious Front, Hapoel HaMizrachi	1, 2, 3	10 March 1949 – 24 December 1952
Israel Rokah	General Zionists	4, 5	24 December 1952 – 29 June 1955
Haim-Moshe Shapira	Hapoel HaMizrachi	6	29 June 1955 – 3 November 1955
Israel Bar-Yehuda	Ahdut HaAvoda	7, 8	3 November 1955 – 17 December 1959
Haim-Moshe Shapira	National Religious Party	9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15	17 December 1959 – 16 July 1970
Golda Meir	Alignment	15	16 July 1970 – 1 September 1970
Yosef Burg	National Religious Party	15, 16	1 September 1970 – 3 June 1974
Shlomo Hillel	Alignment	17	3 June 1974 – 29 October 1974
Yosef Burg	National Religious Party	17	29 October 1974 – 22 December 1976
Shlomo Hillel	Alignment	17	16 January 1977 – 20 June 1977
Yosef Burg	National Religious Party	18, 19, 20	20 June 1977 – 13 September 1984
Shimon Peres	Alignment	21	13 September 1984 – 24 December 1984
Yitzhak Peretz	Shas	21, 22	24 December 1984 – 6 January 1987
Yitzhak Shamir	Likud	22	6 January 1987 – 22 December 1988
Aryeh Deri	Shas	23, 24, 25	22 December 1988 – 11 May 1993
Yitzhak Rabin	Labor Party	25	11 May 1993 – 7 June 1993
Aryeh Deri	Shas	25	7 June 1993 – 14 September 1993
Yitzhak Rabin	Labor Party	25	14 September 1993 – 27 February 1995
Uzi Baram	Labor Party	25	27 February 1995 – 7 June 1995
David Libai	Labor Party	25	19 June 1995 – 18 July 1995
Ehud Barak	Labor Party	25	18 July 1995 – 22 November 1995
Haim Ramon	Labor Party	26	22 November 1995 – 18 June 1996
Eli Suissa	Not an MK ¹	27	18 June 1996 – 6 July 1999
Natan Sharansky	Yisrael BaAliyah	28	6 July 1999 – 11 July 2000
Haim Ramon	One Israel	28	11 July 2000 – 7 March 2001
Eli Yishai	Shas	29	7 March 2001 – 23 May 2002
Ariel Sharon	Likud	29	23 May 2002 – 3 June 2002
Eli Yishai	Shas	29	3 June 2002 – 28 February 2003
Avraham Poraz	Shinui	30	28 February 2003 – 4 December 2004
Ophir Pines-Paz	Labor Party	30	10 January 2005 – 23 November 2005
Ariel Sharon	Kadima	30	23 November 2005 – 4 May 2006 ²
Roni Bar-On	Kadima	31	4 May 2006 – 4 July 2007
Meir Sheetrit	Kadima	31	4 July 2007 – 31 March 2009
Eli Yishai	Shas	32	31 March 2009 – present

¹ Although Suissa was not an MK at the time, he was later elected to the Knesset for Shas.

² After Ariel Sharon's stroke, Deputy Interior Minister Ruhama Avraham fulfilled the position's duties.

Deputy Ministers

Name	Party	Governments	Dates in office
Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir	National Religious Party	9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14	28 December 1959 – 15 December 1969
Yosef Goldschmidt	National Religious Party	15	22 December 1969 – 16 July 1970
Yosef Goldschmidt	National Religious Party	15	19 July 1970 – 1 September 1970
Rafael Pinhasi	Shas	23	15 January 1990 – 11 June 1990
Salah Tarif	Labor Party	25	27 November 1995 – 18 June 1996
David Azulai	Shas	29	2 May 2001 – 23 May 2002
David Azulai	Shas	29	3 June 2002 – 28 February 2003
Victor Brailovsky	Shinui	30	5 March 2003 – 29 November 2004
Ruhama Avraham	Kadima	30	30 March 2005 – 4 May 2006

External links

• All Ministers in the Ministry of Internal Affairs Knesset website