Eli Yishai

Eli Yishai
Date of birth	26 December 1962 (1962-12-26) (age 46)
Place of birth	Israel
Knessets	14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Party	Shas
Ministerial posts (current in bold)	Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Internal Affairs Minister of Industry, Trade & Labour Minister of Labor & Social Welfare

Eliyahu "Eli" Yishai (Hebrew: אליהו "אלי" ישי‎, born 26 December 1962) is an Israeli politician and head of the Shas party. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas, and as both one of four Deputy Prime Ministers and Minister of Internal Affairs.

Political life

Yishai started his political life as a member of the Jerusalem City Council from 1987-1988. He was first elected to the Knesset in the 1996 elections as a member of Shas, the Haredi Mizrahi and Sephardi party, and was made Minister of Labour and Social Welfare in Binyamin Netanyahu's government.

He retained his seat in the 1999 elections, and was again appointed Minister of Labor and Social Welfare in Ehud Barak's government. After Ariel Sharon beat Barak in the 2001 Prime Ministerial election, Yishai was appointed as Interior Minister and made a Deputy Prime Minister in Sharon's national unity government.

Yishai took over as party leader when Aryeh Deri was convicted of fraud but Shas were not included in Ariel Sharon's coalition government of the 16th Knesset.

After the 2006 elections Shas were invited to join Ehud Olmert's coalition and Yishai was made Minister of Industry, Trade, and Labour as well as being a Deputy Prime Minister. He remained Deputy Prime Minister following the 2009 elections, but moved to the Internal Affairs portfolio.

In 2009, he refused to allow the Holy See to exercise jurisdiction over Christian holy sites in Israel, an agreement which would have resolved disputes over the implementation of the 1993 Fundamental Accord. ^[1]

He is married and has five children.^[2][3]

References

External links

• Eli Yishai Knesset website

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v • d • e Internal Affairs Ministers of Israel Gruenbaum (1948-49) · Shapira (1949-52) · Rokach (1952-55) · Shapira (1955) · Bar-Yehuda (1955-59) · Shapira (1959-70) · Meir (1970) · Burg (1970-74) · Hillel (1974) · Burg (1974-76) · Hillel (1977) · Burg (1977-84) · Peres (1984) · Peretz (1984-87) · Shamir (1987-88) · Deri (1988-93) · Rabin (1993) · Deri (1993) · Rabin (1993-95) · Baram (1995) · Libai (1995) · Barak (1995) · Ramon (1995-96) · Suissa (1996-99) · Sharansky (1999-2000) · Ramon (2000-01) · Yishai (2001-02) · Sharon (2002) · Yishai (2002-03) · Poraz (2003-04) · Pines-Paz (2005) · Sharon (2004-06) · Bar-On (2006-07) · Sheetrit (2007-09)) · Yishai (from 2009)

v • d • e Welfare and Social Services Ministers of Israel Levin (1948-52) · Shapira (1952-58) · Naftali (1959) · Burg (1959-70) · Hasani (1970-74) · Shem-Tov (1974) · Hasani (1974-75) · Rabin (1975) · Burg (1975) · Hammer (1975-76) · Baram (1977) · Begin (1977) · Katz (1977-81) · Abuhatzira (1981-82) · Uzan (1982-84) · Katsav (1984-88) · Shamir (1988-90) · Milo (1990) · Shamir (1990-92) · Rabin (1992) · Namir (1992-96) · Yishai (1996-2000) · Cohen (2000-01) · Benizri (2001-02) · Sharon (2002) · Benizri (2002-03) · Orlev (2003-04) · Olmert (2006-07) · Herzog (2007-)