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Dalia Itzik
דליה איציק
Dalya Itzik 1.png
Itzik in 2014
Interim President of Israel
In office
1 July 2007 – 15 July 2007
Preceded by Moshe Katsav
Succeeded by Shimon Peres
Ministerial roles
1999–2001 Minister of the Environment
2001–2002 Minister of Industry and Trade
2005 Minister of Communications
Faction represented in the Knesset
1992–1999 Labor Party
1999–2001 One Israel
2001–2006 Labor Party
2006–2013 Kadima
Other roles
2003 Leader of the Opposition
2006–2009 Speaker of the Knesset
2007 Acting President of Israel
Personal details
Born (1952-10-20) 20 October 1952 (age 72)
Jerusalem
Bush Itzik Peres 2
Dalia Itzik with U.S. President George W. Bush and Shimon Peres

Dalia Itzik (Hebrew: דליה איציק Dalya Itsik) is an Israeli politician. She was born on October 20, 1952. She served as a member of the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament.

Itzik held several important government jobs. On May 4, 2006, she became the first woman to be the Speaker of the Knesset. In July 2007, she also served as the acting President of Israel for a short time.

Early Life and Education

Dalia Itzik was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Her parents were Iraqi Jews who moved to Israel. She grew up in a family that faced many challenges.

She went to a religious high school. After that, she chose not to join the Israel Defense Forces because of her religious beliefs. She then studied to become a teacher.

Itzik earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She also earned a law degree from IDC Herzliya.

Career Before Politics

Before becoming a politician, Dalia Itzik worked as a teacher. She was also a leader in the teachers' union in Jerusalem. She served as a deputy to Teddy Kollek, who was the mayor of Jerusalem at the time.

She was also a member of the executive committee for the Israel Broadcasting Authority. This organization oversees public broadcasting in Israel.

In October 1988, she was involved in a car accident. Another person involved in the accident, Knesset member Michael Reisser, sadly passed away. Dalia Itzik was seriously injured in the accident.

Dalia Itzik is married to Danny. They have three children named Ran, Uri, and Adi. The family lives in the Ramat Sharett neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Political Journey

Dalia Itzik began her political career in Jerusalem. Before she was elected to the Knesset in 1992, she served as the deputy mayor of Jerusalem.

Ministerial Roles

After being re-elected to the Knesset in 1996 and 1999, she took on important roles in the government.

  • From 1999 to 2001, she was the Minister of the Environment.
  • In 2001, she became the Minister of Industry and Trade. She held this position until 2002.
  • After being re-elected in 2003, she served as the Minister of Communications in 2005.

Speaker of the Knesset and Acting President

In 2006, Dalia Itzik joined a new political party called Kadima. After the elections that year, she was chosen to be the Speaker of the Knesset. This is a very important role, similar to the speaker of a parliament in other countries.

In 2007, the President of Israel, Moshe Katsav, took a leave of absence and later resigned. According to Israeli law, the Speaker of the Knesset becomes the acting president if the president cannot serve. Because of this, Dalia Itzik became the acting President of Israel. She served as the official head of state from July 1 to July 15, 2007. Shimon Peres then formally took over as president.

Later Political Career

Dalia Itzik kept her seat in the Knesset after the 2009 elections. She later became the chairperson of the Kadima party. In December 2012, before the 2013 elections, she announced she was taking a break from politics.

In 2014, Dalia Itzik ran in the 2014 Israeli presidential election. She came in third place, receiving support from different political groups.

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