Internal Affairs Minister of Israel

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	Government(s)	Dates in office
Yitzhak Gruenbaum	Independent	Provisional	14/5/1948 - 10/3/1949
Haim-Moshe Shapira	United Religious Front, Hapoel HaMizrachi	1st, 2nd, 3rd	10/3/1949 - 24/12/1952
Israel Rokah	General Zionists	4th, 5th	24/12/1952 - 29/6/1955
Haim-Moshe Shapira	Hapoel HaMizrachi	6th	29/6/1955 - 3/11/1955
Israel Bar-Yehuda	Ahdut HaAvoda	7th, 8th	3/11/1955 - 17/12/1959
Haim-Moshe Shapira	National Religious Party	9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th	17/12/1959 - 16/7/1970
Golda Meir	Alignment	15th	16/7/1970 - 1/9/1970
Yosef Burg	National Religious Party	15th, 16th	1/9/1970 - 3/6/1974
Shlomo Hillel	Alignment	17th	3/6/1974 - 29/10/1974
Yosef Burg	National Religious Party	17th	29/10/1974 - 22/12/1976
Shlomo Hillel	Alignment	17th	16/1/1977 - 20/6/1977
Yosef Burg	National Religious Party	18th, 19th, 20th	20/6/1977 - 13/9/1984
Shimon Peres	Alignment	21st	13/9/1984 - 24/12/1984
Yitzhak Peretz	Shas	21st, 22nd	24/12/1984 - 6/1/1987
Yitzhak Shamir	Likud	22nd	6/1/1987 - 22/12/1988
Aryeh Deri	Shas	23rd, 24th, 25th	22/12/1988 - 11/5/1993
Yitzhak Rabin	Labor Party	25th	11/5/1993 - 7/6/1993
Aryeh Deri	Shas	25th	7/6/1993 - 14/9/1993
Yitzhak Rabin	Labor Party	25th	14/9/1993 - 27/2/1995
Uzi Baram	Labor Party	25th	27/2/1995 - 7/6/1995
David Libai	Labor Party	25th	19/6/1995 - 18/7/1995
Ehud Barak	Labor Party	25th	18/7/1995 - 22/11/1995
Haim Ramon	Labor Party	26th	22/11/1995 - 18/6/1996
Eli Suissa	Not an MK ¹	27th	18/6/1996 - 6/7/1999
Natan Sharansky	Yisrael BaAliyah	28th	6/7/1999 - 11/7/2000
Haim Ramon	One Israel	28th	11/7/2000 - 7/3/2001
Eli Yishai	Shas	29th	7/3/2001 - 23/5/2002
Ariel Sharon	Likud	29th	23/5/2002 - 3/6/2002
Eli Yishai	Shas	29th	3/6/2002 - 28/2/2003
Avraham Poraz	Shinui	30th	28/2/2003 - 4/12/2004
Ophir Pines-Paz	Labor Party	30th	10/1/2005 - 23/11/2005
Ariel Sharon	Kadima	30th	23/11/2005 - 4/5/06 ²
Roni Bar-On	Kadima	31st	4/5/06 - 4/7/07
Meir Sheetrit	Kadima	31st	4/7/07 - 31/3/09
Eli Yishai	Shas	32nd	31/3/09 - 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	Government(s)	Dates in office
Shlomo-Israel Ben-Meir	National Religious Party	9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th	28/12/1959 - 15/12/1969
Yosef Goldschmidt	National Religious Party	15th	22/12/1969 - 16/7/1970
Yosef Goldschmidt	National Religious Party	15th	19/7/1970 - 1/9/1970
Rafael Pinhasi	Shas	23rd	15/1/1990 - 11/6/1990
Saleh Tarif	Labor Party	25th	27/11/1995 - 18/6/1996
David Azulai	Shas	29th	2/5/2001 - 23/5/2002
David Azulai	Shas	29th	3/6/2002 - 28/2/2003
Victor Brailovsky	Shinui	30th	5/3/2003 - 29/11/2004
Ruhama Avraham	Kadima	30th	30/3/2005 - 4/5/2006

External links

• All Ministers in the Ministry of Internal Affairs Knesset website