Tzipi Livni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tzipi Livni
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ציפי לבני
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| Ministerial roles | |
| 2001 | Minister of Regional Cooperation |
| 2001–2002 | Minister without Portfolio |
| 2002–2003 | Minister of Agriculture |
| 2003–2006 | Minister of Immigrant Absorption |
| 2004–2005 | Minister of Housing and Construction |
| 2006–2007 | Minister of Justice |
| 2006–2009 | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| 2013–2014 | Minister of Justice |
| 2013–2014 | Minister for the Promotion of the Diplomatic Process |
| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 1999–2005 | Likud |
| 2005–2012 | Kadima |
| 2013–2014 | Hatnua |
| 2014–2019 | Zionist Union |
| 2019 | Hatnua |
| Other roles | |
| 2009–2012 | Leader of the Opposition |
| 2018–2019 | Leader of the Opposition |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 July 1958 Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Spouse | Naftali Spitzer |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | Eitan Livni Sara Rosenberg |
| Signature |  |
Tzipi Livni (born July 8, 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and lawyer. She is known for her important roles in the Israeli government.
Livni was a member of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) and a leader in the center-left political group. She has served as Foreign Minister, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, and Leader of the Opposition. Many people know her for her efforts to find a solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
She is considered one of the most powerful women in Israel since Golda Meir. Livni has held eight different government jobs, which is a record for an Israeli woman. She was the first female Vice Prime Minister, Justice Minister, Agriculture Minister, and Housing Minister. Livni grew up in a family that supported a strong Israel. However, she became a leading voice for a "two-state solution". This solution aims to create a secure Israel alongside a Palestinian state. She was sometimes called "Mrs. Clean" because people saw her as an honest politician.
From 2001 to 2009, Livni worked in the governments of Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. She was especially important as Foreign Minister, leading many peace talks with the Palestinians. In 2008, she was close to becoming Prime Minister, but she couldn't form a government. The next year, her party won the most seats in the Knesset. However, she was again unable to become prime minister because other parties formed a majority. She then served as Leader of the Opposition until she left the Knesset in 2012.
Later in 2012, Livni started a new party called Hatnuah. After the 2013 elections, she became Justice Minister and led new peace talks. In 2014, Benjamin Netanyahu removed her from his government, leading to new elections. For the 2015 election, Livni joined forces with Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog to create the Zionist Union. In 2019, she announced her retirement from politics.
Contents
- Early Life and Education
- Military Service and Intelligence Work
- Education, Family, and Law Career
- Political Career
- 2006–2009: Israel's Foreign Minister
- 2008–2009: Candidate for Prime Minister
- 2009–2012: Leader of the Opposition
- 2012–2014: Hatnua Party
- 2014–2019: The Zionist Union
- After the Knesset
- Awards and Honors
- Affiliations
- Images for kids
- See also
Early Life and Education
Tzipi Livni was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her parents, Eitan Livni and Sara Rosenberg, were important members of a group called Irgun. After Israel was created in 1948, her parents were the first couple to get married in the new country. Her father was a main leader for the Irgun.
As a child, Livni was part of the Betar youth group. She also played basketball for a team called Elitzur Tel Aviv. She felt that her parents' contributions to Israel's founding were not fully recognized. Even though the Irgun was seen as a tough group, Livni said her parents respected Arabs and only acted against the British army, not civilians.
Her father, who was a moderate politician, encouraged support for a Druze candidate in 1984. He believed it was important for his party to have Arab representation.
Military Service and Intelligence Work
Livni served in the IDF (Israel's military) and reached the rank of Lieutenant. In 1979, she started studying law. However, she paused her studies in 1980 to join the Mossad, which is Israel's national intelligence agency. She worked for the Mossad from 1980 to 1984, when she was 22 to 26 years old. She left the Mossad in 1984 to get married and finish her law studies.
Education, Family, and Law Career
Livni earned her law degree (LL.B.) from Bar-Ilan University in 1984. She worked as a lawyer for about ten years. She focused on business law, public law, and real estate law. She started her public career in 1996.
Livni lives in Tel Aviv. She is married to Naftali Spitzer, who works in advertising. They have two children, Omri (born 1987) and Yuval (born 1990). Her husband has supported her political career from the beginning.
Livni is a vegetarian. She speaks Hebrew, English, and French. She lived in Paris for several years.
Her father, Eitan Livni, passed away in 1991. Her mother, Sara, passed away in 2007. Her mother supported Livni's decision to leave her original political party and her support for the two-state solution, even if it was difficult for her.
Political Career
Livni started in politics in 1996. She tried to get a spot on the Likud party's list for the Knesset. She was placed at number 36. Likud won 32 seats in the 1996 election, so she didn't get in. However, the new Prime Minister, Netanyahu, appointed her to lead the government's companies authority. In this role, she helped sell off some government-owned companies.
Later, Livni said she wasn't sure if she would privatize certain companies and natural resources again today.
1999–2005: Likud Party Member
Livni was first elected to the Knesset in 1999 as a member of the Likud party. When Ariel Sharon became prime minister in 2001, he gave her many roles in his government. Her first job was Minister of Regional Co-operation. She also served as Minister of Agriculture. In 2003, Livni became Minister of Immigrant Absorption. In 2004, she was appointed Minister of Housing and Construction.
After another party left the government, Sharon appointed her Minister of Justice. In this role, Livni became more well-known. People saw her as an honest person who supported the law, especially when there were questions about corruption involving other politicians.
Livni strongly supported Sharon's plan to withdraw from certain areas. She was seen as a key moderate member of the Likud party. She often helped different groups within the party agree. She worked to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This included helping the Knesset approve the pullout from the Gaza Strip. In 2004, she received an award for "Quality of Governance."
2005–2012: Kadima Party Member
On November 20, 2005, Livni, along with Sharon and Ehud Olmert, formed a new party called Kadima. Before the March 2006 elections, Livni became the new Foreign Minister. She also continued to serve as Justice Minister.
In the 2006 election, Livni was placed third on Kadima's list of candidates. This meant she was sure to be elected to the Knesset.
2006–2009: Israel's Foreign Minister
In 2006, Livni became Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs. She held this job until 2009. In Ehud Olmert's government, Livni was also named Designated Acting Prime Minister. This meant she would take the prime minister's place if they were away or unable to work. She stopped being Justice Minister for a while but held that position again briefly in 2006-2007 while still Foreign Minister.
As Foreign Minister, Livni was in charge of talks with the Palestinian Authority. During these talks, she suggested changing the future border between Israel and a Palestinian state. This idea would place some Israeli Arab towns within the Palestinian state. Her practical approach as foreign minister earned her respect from leaders in the US, Europe, and even Arab countries.
After the 2006 election, she was called "the second most powerful politician in Israel." Livni is the second woman in Israel to be Foreign Minister, after Golda Meir. In 2007, Time magazine included her in their list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Forbes magazine also listed her as one of the most powerful women in the world.
Livni was the first Israeli government minister to clearly explain the difference between attacks on Israeli soldiers and attacks on civilians. She said that fighting against soldiers is different from targeting civilians.
In 2007, she met with Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad. They talked about making life better for the Palestinian people without risking Israel's safety.
In 2007, Livni asked Olmert to resign after a report criticized his handling of a war in 2006. She offered to lead the Kadima party if he stepped down. However, Olmert did not resign, and Livni stayed in the government.
2008–2009: Candidate for Prime Minister
Kadima Leadership Victory
Ehud Olmert announced he would resign as prime minister due to investigations. A new election for the Kadima party leader was held on September 17, 2008. Livni and Shaul Mofaz were the main candidates. Livni won the Kadima leadership election by a very small number of votes. Palestinian peace negotiators were reportedly happy with her win.
Forming a Government
As the new leader of the ruling party, Livni was asked to form a new government. She said she felt a great responsibility.
On September 21, 2008, Olmert officially resigned. The next day, President Shimon Peres asked Livni to form a new government. Livni faced difficult talks with other parties. One party, Shas, wanted more money for religious communities and a promise not to discuss Jerusalem's status in peace talks. Livni was able to sign an agreement with the Labor party. However, on October 26, she told the President she could not form a government and suggested new elections. Livni said she was not willing to give up her beliefs just to become prime minister. She stated, "If someone is willing to sell out his principles for the job, he is not worthy of it." The main opposition party, Likud, pushed other parties to support early elections.
2009 Elections
In February 2009, Israel held elections for the Knesset. Livni, as head of the Kadima party, ran against Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party. Kadima won the most seats in the Knesset. However, parties on the right side of politics won enough seats to make it unlikely for Kadima to form a government. Because of this, President Shimon Peres asked Netanyahu and Likud to form a government, even though they had one less seat than Kadima. This was the first time in Israel's history that the party with the most seats was not asked to try and form a government.
The New York Times praised Livni for "refusing the unfair conditions set by Shas." They supported her for prime minister. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz also supported Livni.
When Livni was asked to form the government, a Palestinian analyst said that many Arabs wanted her to be Israel's next prime minister. During the 2009 elections, Arab media showed her in a negative way, but still as the better choice compared to others.
2009–2012: Leader of the Opposition
After the 2009 elections, Livni's Kadima party won the most seats but could not form a government. So, she led the party into opposition, becoming Israel's first female leader of the opposition.
Livni spoke to Harvard University students in 2009. She said that on the issue of Iran, there was no disagreement between the government and the opposition in Israel. She stated that Iran was a threat to other countries and should be stopped from getting nuclear weapons.
Before Lebanon's 2009 elections, Livni agreed with US President Barack Obama's idea that "Elections alone do not make true democracy." She explained that some extremist groups might join elections not to stop violence, but to push their violent goals. Livni suggested that the world should have rules for parties running in elections. These rules would require them to reject violence and follow peaceful methods.
Livni supported Israel's gay community in June 2009. She spoke at an event in Tel Aviv. After an attack on a gay youth center in August 2009, Livni said the event should make society think. She urged everyone to speak out against hate and violence. She attended a rally and encouraged the gay and lesbian community to continue living their lives despite the "hate crime."
In October 2009, Yale University honored Livni as a Chubb Fellow for her work. She is the third Israeli leader to receive this honor. Livni spoke about a report that accused Israel of war crimes. She said there was a big difference between those who try to murder children and those who accidentally harm civilians used by terrorists. She said she regretted every civilian death but insisted that what happened at a UN school was not a mistake. Livni also received the International Hall of Fame Award from the International Women's Forum.
Livni attended the memorial for Yitzhak Rabin in 2009. She had previously said that she didn't support Rabin's policies at the time he was killed. However, her speech at a 2003 memorial for Rabin was seen as a turning point in her career. She said the day Rabin was murdered was "the day that the skies fell down on me."
When a document suggested that European countries might officially support a divided Jerusalem, Livni wrote a letter to the Swedish Foreign Minister. She said it was "wrong and not helpful" and that it would harm peace talks. She also asked France to speak out against the document.
In December 2009, Livni met with French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris. She told reporters that "Time is against us" for the peace process.
UK Travel Challenges
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In December 2009, there were reports that a British court had issued a warrant for Livni's arrest. This was due to a request from lawyers representing Palestinians. The warrant was related to Israel's actions in Gaza earlier that year. The warrant was withdrawn when it was found that Livni had not entered British territory.
The British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, contacted Livni and apologized for the situation. He said officials were looking into how to change the UK legal system to prevent such situations from happening again. British judges could issue arrest warrants for war crimes suspects without needing to consult public prosecutors, which Miliband called "unusual." Prime Minister Gordon Brown also expressed regret and told Livni she was "most welcome in Britain any time." Livni's office later said Brown promised to try to change the laws so no Israeli official would risk arrest while in Britain.
Yehuda Blum, Israel's former ambassador to the United Nations, said that using this law for political reasons should stop. He explained that the law was meant for cases with no clear legal authority, like piracy. Israeli officials asked the British ambassador to act quickly to change the law. Livni called the arrest warrant "an abuse of the British legal system."
In 2011, private groups again asked for an arrest warrant against Livni in the UK. However, Britain's chief prosecutor, Keir Starmer, blocked the warrant.
Leadership Defeat and Resignation
In November 2011, other candidates in the Kadima party asked for a new leadership election. On January 19, 2012, Livni set the election date for March 27, 2012. Livni lost by a large margin to Shaul Mofaz. In May 2012, Livni resigned from the Knesset. She said she was not leaving public life because Israel was "too dear" to her. She also said she didn't regret not giving in to "political blackmail" and not selling out the country to certain groups. She added that she didn't regret pushing for a peace agreement with the Palestinians, even if it wasn't a popular topic at the time.
2012–2014: Hatnua Party
2013 Elections
On November 27, 2012, Livni announced she was starting a new party called Hatnua ("The Movement"). Seven members of the Knesset from the Kadima Party joined her. Former Labor Party leaders also joined.
Minister of Justice
After the 2013 elections, Hatnua won six seats in the Knesset. Livni led Hatnua in joining a new government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This government was called the thirty-third government of Israel. As part of the agreement, Livni became Justice Minister. She also became the chief negotiator for peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. Because environmental issues were important to Hatnua, Livni made sure her party was given the environmental protection ministry.
As Justice Minister, Livni led the important Ministerial Committee on Legislation. Because of her experience with leaders from other countries, Netanyahu also unofficially asked Livni to manage Israel's relationships with the United States and Europe.
2013–14 Israeli–Palestinian Peace Talks
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Livni led the Israeli team in the peace talks. These talks were arranged by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Middle East envoy Martin Indyk. The talks lasted from July 2013 to April 2014. When announcing the talks, Livni said she hoped the negotiators would turn a "spark of hope into something real and lasting." She added, "I believe that history is not made by cynics. It is made by realists who are not afraid to dream." The talks ended in April 2014. This happened because Israel faced internal political problems and could not release a group of prisoners as promised. The Palestinians then joined several international treaties.
Dismissal from Government
Livni continued as Justice Minister until December 2, 2014. At that time, there were many disagreements within the government. Netanyahu fired Livni and Finance Minister Yair Lapid. He accused them of trying to overthrow the government. Livni and Lapid had often criticized government decisions. Netanyahu said this made it "impossible to govern." Netanyahu was especially frustrated by Livni's control of the powerful ministerial committee on legislation.
In late 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry told European Union ambassadors that his view on a Palestinian measure at the UN Security Council was influenced by his talks with Livni. She had said such a move could help those who oppose the peace process.
2014–2019: The Zionist Union
2015 Elections
After the Knesset was dissolved in December 2014, Labor leader Isaac Herzog and Livni announced they would run together. Their joint list was called the Zionist Union. They hoped to prevent Netanyahu from winning a fourth term as prime minister. They suggested sharing the role of prime minister if they won enough votes. Livni also said she would step aside if her involvement made it harder to form a government. This partnership created excitement and motivated center-left voters. Many thought they had a real chance to defeat Netanyahu.
Many opinion polls during the campaign showed the Likud and Zionist Union neck and neck. Some polls even suggested Livni and Herzog were ahead. Initial results showed the Zionist Union winning 27 seats. However, the final count showed they won only 24 seats, while Likud won 30. After the elections, Livni and the Zionist Union became part of the opposition.
Leader of the Opposition
Livni was a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. In August 2015, Livni started a special committee to deal with "International Lawfare." This committee looked at how legal actions were being used against Israel. Livni said that these legal actions were "a war front as any other." The committee's goal was to defend Israel and change international trends against it.
In February 2017, it was reported that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had offered Livni a high position at the United Nations. However, this did not happen.
Party Split and Retirement
On January 1, 2019, at a televised meeting, Labor leader Avi Gabay announced that his party would not run with Hatnua in the April 2019 Israeli legislative election. This surprised Livni. Polls showed that Hatnua was not likely to get enough votes to enter the Knesset. On February 18, 2019, Livni announced she was retiring from politics. She also said Hatnua would not run in the election so that it wouldn't split the center-left vote.
After the Knesset
In September 2019, Livni became a Fisher Family Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School.
Livni praised Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election. She said that Biden supports democratic ideas and that his election was "a blessing" for the United States, Israel, and the rest of the free world.
In a May 2024 interview, Livni asked the Israeli government to plan for how Gaza would be governed after the Israel-Hamas war. She warned that delays in working with Arab partners like the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia could be a costly mistake.
In July 2024, The Jerusalem Post reported that Yair Golan, leader of a new party called Democrats, was thinking about appointing Livni to a high position in his party's list for elections.
Awards and Honors
- 2004: Knight of Quality Government Award
- 2004: Abirat Ha-Shilton ("Quality of Governance") award.
- 2009: Honored by Yale University as a Chubb Fellow.
- 2009: International Hall of Fame Award from the International Women's Forum.
- 2018: Golden Arrow Award
Affiliations
- A board member of the International Crisis Group
- A member of The Aspen Ministers Forum
- A member of the international group of leaders who wrote the Declaration of Principles for Freedom Prosperity and Peace.
- Senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School
- Global steering committee of "Campaign for nature" (founded by Wyss Foundation)
Images for kids
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Tzipi Livni's signature
See also
In Spanish: Tzipi Livni para niños
