Amir Peretz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amir Peretz
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עמיר פרץ
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Peretz in 2007
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| Ministerial roles | |
| 2006–2007 | Minister of Defence |
| 2006–2007 | Deputy Prime Minister |
| 2013–2014 | Minister of Environmental Protection |
| 2020–2021 | Minister of Economy |
| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 1988–1992 | Alignment |
| 1992–1999 | Labor |
| 1999–2004 | One Nation |
| 2004–2012 | Labor |
| 2013–2015 | Hatnuah |
| 2015–2019 | Zionist Union |
| 2019–2021 | Labor |
| Other roles | |
| 2005–2006 | Leader of the Opposition |
| 2005–2007 | Leader of the Labor Party |
| 2019–2021 | Leader of the Labor Party |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 March 1952 Boujad, Morocco |
Amir Peretz (born 9 March 1952) is an Israeli politician. He was a member of the Knesset, which is like Israel's parliament. He served almost continuously from 1988 to 2021.
During his career, he held important government jobs. These included Minister of Defense, Minister of Economy, and Minister of Environmental Protection. He also led the Histadrut, a big group of trade unions, from 1995 to 2006.
Peretz started as mayor of Sderot for five years. He then became a Knesset member in 1988. In 1999, he started his own party called One Nation. He later rejoined the Labor Party in 2004. In 2005, he became the leader of the Labor Party.
After the 2006 elections, Labor joined the government. Peretz became Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister. During his time as Defense Minister, the 2006 Lebanon War happened. He also approved the Iron Dome defense system in early 2007. He left the cabinet in 2007 after losing the Labor Party leadership election.
In 2012, he joined a new party called Hatnuah. He was re-elected to the Knesset in 2013. He became Minister of Environmental Protection but resigned in 2014 over budget disagreements. In 2015, he rejoined the Labor Party. He was elected leader of the Labor Party again in 2019. He left the Knesset in January 2021.
Contents
Early Life and Military Service
Amir Peretz was born Armand Peretz in Boujad, Morocco. His family was Sephardic Jewish. His father was a leader in the Jewish community there. In 1956, his family moved to Israel. They settled in Sderot, where Peretz grew up. He went to high school in a nearby kibbutz.
Peretz served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 1970 to 1972. He was an officer in the Artillery wing. In 1974, he was seriously injured in an accident. He spent a year recovering in the hospital. After leaving the hospital, he bought a farm. He grew vegetables and flowers. He met his wife, Ahlama, and they got married. They have four children.
Political Journey
Mayor of Sderot
In 1983, Peretz became the mayor of Sderot. He was a candidate for the Labor Party. His win ended a long period where other parties had controlled the town's politics. As mayor, he focused on improving education. He also worked to build better relationships with nearby communities.
Leading the Histadrut and One Nation Party
In 1988, Peretz was elected to the Knesset. In 1995, he became the chairman of the Histadrut. This is a very important group that represents workers in Israel. At first, he was known for calling general strikes. Later, he became more moderate. He worked with the government on economic changes. He believed that a strike that didn't happen was the most effective one.
In 1999, Peretz left the Labor Party. He started his own party called One Nation. This party won a few seats in the Knesset. As the Labor Party faced challenges, Peretz became popular with working-class people. In 2004, his party merged back with the Labor Party.
Leading the Labor Party
After the merger, Peretz ran to be the leader of the Labor Party. He wanted to end the government's partnership with the Likud Party. He also wanted to bring back Labor's traditional focus on helping workers and social programs. On 9 November 2005, he won the election. He narrowly defeated Shimon Peres, who was the leader at the time.
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After winning, Peretz left his job at the Histadrut. The Labor Party then left the government. This led to new elections in March 2006. During his time as Labor Party leader, Peretz nominated Raleb Majadele, an Arab Muslim Israeli, to be a government minister. This was a big step in improving relations between Arab-Israelis and the government.
Minister of Defense Role
Peretz became the Minister of Defense. During his term, the 2006 Lebanon War started. This happened after two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah. Peretz and the Prime Minister launched a campaign against Hezbollah. The war lasted 33 days. A government committee later found that the decisions made during the war were reasonable.
One important decision during his time as Defense Minister was to push for the development of the Iron Dome system. This system helps protect Israel from rockets. Many people were unsure about it at first. But Peretz believed in it. The Iron Dome has since become a very important defense system for Israel. He left the Defense Ministry in June 2007.
Joining Hatnuah and Return to Labor
Peretz remained in the Knesset after losing his leadership role in the Labor Party. In December 2012, he left Labor to join Tzipi Livni's new Hatnuah party. He was re-elected to the Knesset with Hatnuah in 2013. He was then appointed Minister of Environmental Protection. However, he resigned in November 2014 because he disagreed with the government's budget plans.
After being re-elected in 2015, Peretz rejoined the Labor Party in September 2015.
Minister of the Economy
Peretz was re-elected as Labor party leader in 2019. Before the September 2019 elections, Peretz promised not to join a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. He even shaved his mustache to show he was serious.
In April 2020, the Labor Party decided to join a new government. Peretz became the Minister of the Economy. In this role, he worked on economic matters. He was sworn into this position on 17 May 2020.
Views and Opinions
Social Matters
During his 2006 campaign, Peretz promised to fight child poverty in Israel. He has also said he believes in a market economy. Some people have compared him to Brazilian president Lula because of his focus on social issues and his friendly personality.
Peace and the Arab World
Peretz has often been seen as someone who supports peace. In the 1980s, he was part of a group that wanted to promote peace with the Palestinians. He believed that solving the conflict with the Palestinians would also help solve social problems in Israel. He thought that money spent on settlements could be used to help people in need. He also believed that the conflict had changed Israeli politics.
As Defense Minister, his actions during the conflict in Lebanon and with Hamas in the Gaza Strip were seen differently by some. However, his foresight in supporting the Iron Dome system has been widely praised.
Images for kids
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Peretz at a Labor Party rally, April 2008
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Peretz campaign billboard, Tel Aviv, January 2006. "Ki Higía' Haz'mán" – "Because The Time Has Come"
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Peretz as Minister of Defense (left: Robert Gates)
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Amir Peretz campaigning, July 2019
See also
In Spanish: Amir Péretz para niños
