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Tzipi Livni

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U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney meets with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tzipi Livni, at the White House.

Tzipora Malka "Tzipi" Livni (Hebrew: ציפורה מלכה "ציפי" לבני, born 8 July 1958 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is Foreign Affairs Minister and the designated Acting Prime Minister of Israel.[1][2] On 17 September 2008, Livni was elected leader of the Kadima party, giving her the opportunity to seek to form a government that would gain support from a majority of the Knesset, Israel's parliament.[3][4] If she succeeds in forming a government, Livni will become Israel's second female Prime Minister.

Livni narrowly defeated Shaul Mofaz, her closest competitor, in the Kadima's 2008 leadership election.[5]

Upon declaring victory in the leadership election, Livni said the "national responsibility (bestowed) by the public brings me to approach this job with great reverence".[6][7] She now battles for premiership and avert snap elections, amid tough a challenge as the Shas party imposed conditions for taking part in her government.[8]

Biography

Born in Tel Aviv,[9] Livni is the daughter of Eitan Livni (born in Poland) and Sara Rosenberg, both prominent former Irgun members.[10] Tzipi Livni served as a lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces and worked for the Mossad for nearly two years during the early 1980s, resigning in August 1983 to marry and finish her law studies. It was rumored that she was a terrorist hunter for the Mossad,[11] but recent findings suggest that Livni was a low level agent. She was hired to live in a Paris apartment to maintain the appearance of a regular residential property.[12] A graduate of Bar Ilan University's Faculty of Law, she has 10 years experience as a practicing lawyer specializing in public and commercial law.[13] Livni resides in Tel Aviv. She is married to accountant Naftali Spitzer and has two children, Omri and Yuval. According to her childhood friend Mirla Gal, Livni is a vegetarian.[14] Livni speaks Hebrew, English, and French.

Political life

Livni was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party in 1999. When Likud leader Ariel Sharon became prime minister in July 2001, Livni was appointed Minister of Regional Cooperation, and thereafter held various Cabinet positions including Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of Immigrant Absorption and Minister of Housing and Construction.[15] She received the Abirat Ha-Shilton ("Quality of Governance") award for 2004. On 1 October 2005, she was appointed Minister of Justice after several months acting in that position.[16]

Tzipi Livni addressing a meeting of the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem, January 2008.

In Sharon's Cabinet, Livni was an avid supporter of the prime minister's disengagement plan and was generally considered to be among the key dovish or moderate members of the Likud party. She often mediated between various elements inside the party, and gained recognition for her efforts to achieve peace, particularly her successful efforts to have the pullout from the Gaza Strip ratified by the Knesset. On 12 November 2005, she spoke at the official yearly commemoration of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination.[17]

On 20 November 2005, Livni followed Sharon and Ehud Olmert into the new Kadima Party. Ahead of the 28 March elections Livni was appointed to be the new Foreign Minister, while continuing to serve as Justice Minister, as a result of the mass resignation of Likud Party members from the government.[18]

In the selection of candidates for the March 2006 Knesset election, Livni was awarded the number three position on Kadima's list of candidates, which effectively guaranteed her election to the Knesset.[19]

On 4 May 2006, with the swearing-in of the 31st Government, Livni became Vice (or Deputy) Prime Minister and retained the position of Foreign Minister. She ceased serving as Justice Minister at that time, but again held that position from 29 November 2006 to 7 February 2007, while still serving in her primary role of Foreign Minister.[19]

After the March 2006 Knesset election, Livni was described as "the second most powerful politician in Israel".[20] Livni is the second woman in Israel to hold the post of foreign minister, after Golda Meir. In 2007, she was included in the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World.[21] Forbes ranked her the 52nd most powerful woman in the world.[22]


Livni became the first Israeli cabinet minister to explicitly differentiate Palestinian guerrilla attacks against Israeli military targets from terrorist attacks against civilians. In an interview on the US television news show Nightline, recorded on 28 March 2006, Livni stated:

"Somebody who is fighting against Israeli soldiers is an enemy and we will fight back, but I believe that this is not under the definition of terrorism, if the target is a soldier."[23]

Livni with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2008

In 2007, she met with Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, to discuss "improving the lives of the Palestinian people, without compromising Israel's security".[24]

On 2 May 2007, Livni called for Olmert's resignation in the wake of the publication of the Winograd Commission's interim report. She has offered herself as leader of Kadima if Olmert decides to step down, and asserted her confidence in her ability to defeat him in a party election should he decline.[25][26] However, her call was ignored by Olmert and her decision to stay in the Cabinet sparked some controversy.[27]

Eventually, Olmert agreed not to stand for re-election as Kadima's leader, and Livni won the subsequent Kadima leadership election.[28] Following Olmert's resignation, her primary rival was considered Shaul Mofaz.[29]

References

  1. ^ Government 31 The Knesset
  2. ^ "Kadima Party". Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  3. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/world/middleeast/18israel.html?hp
  4. ^ Bronner, Ethan (2008-09-18). "Top Party in Israel Is Picking a Leader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  5. ^ Hider, James (2008-09-27). "New Golda Meir' Tzipi Livni wins election to be Prime Minister after extra time". The Times. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  6. ^ abc.net.au, Livni declared winner of Kadima election
  7. ^ ukpress.google.com, Livni claims victory in Israel poll
  8. ^ google.com, Israel's Livni now in battle for premiership
  9. ^ "Next in Line". Times (London). Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  10. ^ News in Brief Haaretz
  11. ^ "Terrorist Hunter". Times (London). Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  12. ^ "Livni's past in Mossad not spectacular". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  13. ^ "Tzipi Livni Knesset Biography". Knesset. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  14. ^ Cohen, Roger (2007-07-07). "Her Jewish State". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-07. Mirla Gal, who would reach the top of the Mossad during a 20-year career, met Livni in first grade. [...] "We were curious because her world wasn't ours," Gal said over lunch at a beachfront Tel Aviv restaurant. "Even then she was principled. When I was 12, she turned vegetarian and has been ever since."
  15. ^ "Tzipi Livni Government Roles". Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  16. ^ Behind the Lines: And who, may we ask, is Tzipi Livni? Jerusalem Post, Accessed 30 April 2007
  17. ^ Cohen, Roger (2007-07-08). "Her Jewish State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  18. ^ Macintyre, Donald (2008-08-02). "Tzipi Livni: Agent of change". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  19. ^ a b "Tzipi Livni (1958- )". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  20. ^ "Tzipi Livni Named Vice Premier in Israel". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  21. ^ Condoleezza Rice. "Tzipi Livni". Time. Retrieved 2007-06-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/11/biz_powerwomen08_The-100-Most-Powerful-Women_Rank_3.html
  23. ^ Journal of International Criminal Justice Advance Access published online on December 15, 2006, Oxford University press, The Multifaceted Criminal Notion of Terrorism in International Law by Antonio Cassese
  24. ^ Benn, Aluf (2007-07-08). "Livni and Fayad meet, discuss improving Palestinians' lives". Haaretz. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  25. ^ Olmert's Survival Prospects Dim Amid Livni Challenge Bloomberg, May 3, 2007
  26. ^ "'I have the qualifications to be PM'". Jerusalem Post. 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  27. ^ Verter, Yossi (2007-05-02). "PM Olmert to tell deputy Livni: Stop undermining me, or resign". Haaretz. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "Livni to lead Israel ruling party". BBC News. 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  29. ^ Somfalvi, Attila (2008-08-01). "Poll: Livni beats Netanyahu, who beats Mofaz". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
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Tzipi Livni on the Knesset website

Political offices
Preceded by Acting Prime Minister of Israel
2006– present 		Incumbent

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