Isaac Herzog
| Isaac Herzog | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | 22 September 1960 |
| Place of birth | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Knessets | 16, 17, 18 |
| Party | Labor Party |
| Ministerial posts (current in bold) |
Minister of Welfare & Social Services Minister of the Diaspora, Society and Minister of Tourism |
Yitzhak "Buji" Herzog (Hebrew: יצחק "בוז'י" הרצוג, born 22 September 1960) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He is currently a member of the Knesset on behalf of the Labor Party, and has previous served as Minister of Welfare & Social Services, Minister of the Diaspora, Society, and the Fight Against Antisemitism, Minister of Housing and Building and Minister of Tourism.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Herzog is the son of Israeli President Chaim Herzog and Aura Herzog, and the grandson of Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. He was born in Tel Aviv and studied law at Tel Aviv University and Cornell University. Herzog is married with three children, and is nicknamed Buji.[1]
[edit] Political career
Although he did not win a seat in the 1999 elections, Herzog served as government secretary in Ehud Barak's cabinet until 2001 when Barak was defeated by Ariel Sharon in a special election for Prime Minister. In 1999, he was also investigated in the 'Amutot Barak' scandal (a scandal involving allegations that the party funding law was violated), but maintained his silence. The Attorney General, therefore, decided to close the case against him due to lack of evidence. From 2000 until 2003, he served as chairman of the Israel Anti-Drug Authority.
Herzog managed to win a seat in the 2003 election as a member of the Labor Party, and was appointed Minister of Housing and Building at his request when Labor joined Ariel Sharon's coalition government on 10 January 2005. However, on 23 November 2005, he resigned from his cabinet post along with the rest of the party.
Prior to the 2006 elections, Herzog won second place on Labor's list in the party's primaries. He was initially appointed Minister of Tourism in Ehud Olmert's Kadima-led coalition, but was reassigned to the Social Affairs ministry in March 2007 after Yisrael Beiteinu was awarded the Tourism Ministry following their late entry to the governing coalition, and was also appointed Minister of the Diaspora, Society and the Fight Against Antisemitism. He was again second on the party's list for the 2009 elections. Following the election, he was appointed Minister of Welfare & Social Services and Minister of the Diaspora, Society, and the Fight Against Antisemitism. However, he resigned from the cabinet after Ehud Barak left the Labor Party to establish Independence in January 2011.[2]
In 2008, he asserted that any attempt to seal the beatification of Pius XII would be unacceptable.[3]
Herzog is chairman and whip of the Israeli-Australian Parliamentary Association. He is also one of the few Knesset members who still serves in the military reserve (with the rank of Major).
Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog is launching policy that would allow same-sex couples to adopt children in Israel who bear no biological connection to them. This would constitute a breakthrough for gay and lesbian couples wishing to adopt. Until now, legal precedents have only enabled same-sex couples to do so when one member has requested to adopt the biological offspring of their partner, and through ordering the state to recognize adoptions that took place abroad.
[edit] References
- ^ Is this security? Haaretz
- ^ Labor ministers quit gov't after split Ynetnews, 17 January 2011
- ^ Sainthood for Pope Pius XII unacceptable, Israeli minister says The Guardian, 23 October 2008
[edit] External links
- Isaac Herzog Knesset website
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
