Dalia Itzik | |
|---|---|
דליה איציק | |
 Itzik in 2014 | |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 1999–2001 | Minister of the Environment |
| 2001–2002 | Minister of Industry and Trade |
| 2005 | Minister of Communications |
| Faction represented in theKnesset | |
| 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 |
Dalia Itzik (Hebrew:דליה איציקDalya Itsik; born 20 October 1952) is an Israeli former politician who last served as a member of theKnesset forKadima.[1] She has previously served in several ministerial positions, and on 4 May 2006 became the first femalespeaker of the Knesset, and served asPresident of Israel in aninterim capacity in July 2007.
Itzik was born inJerusalem. Her parents wereIraqi Jews who had immigrated to Israel. Her family was poor; her father was an alcoholic and at times her mother had to steal food for the family to survive. She attended a religious high school, and afterwards, avoided conscription to theIsrael Defense Forces by declaring herself religious. She then attended a teacher training course, and went on to obtain aBA in Literature and History from theHebrew University of Jerusalem and a BA in law fromIDC Herzliya. She worked as a teacher, during which she headed the teachers' union in Jerusalem, worked as a deputy to Jerusalem mayorTeddy Kollek, and served as a member of the executive committee of theIsrael Broadcasting Authority.[2]
On 26 October 1988, she was involved in a car accident that killed Knesset memberMichael Reisser, who was driving to Jerusalem, when Reisser's car crashed into hers. Reisser was fatally wounded and died the following day, while Itzik was seriously injured.[2]
She is married to Danny, an employee of the Israel Electric Corporation. They have three children, Ran, Uri and Adi. The family lives in Jerusalem'sRamat Sharett neighborhood.[3]
Before being elected to the13th Knesset in 1992, Itzik served as the deputy mayor of Jerusalem.
After being re-elected in 1996 and 1999, she was appointedMinister of the Environment in Ehud Barak's government, serving from 1999 until 2001. In 2001 she becameMinister of Industry and Trade, before leaving the cabinet in 2002.
Re-elected in 2003, Itzik served asMinister of Communications in 2005. In 2006 she defected toAriel Sharon's newly formed party, Kadima.
Following the2006 elections she became Knesset speaker. On 25 January 2007, Israeli PresidentMoshe Katsav took a three-month leave of absence, and on 1 July of that year, resigned the office in a plea bargain. The speaker of the Knesset stands first in theline of succession, making Itzikacting president. She served as the official head of State untilShimon Peres formally took over on 15 July 2007.
After winning third place on the party's list, Itzik retained her seat in the2009 elections and later became the chairperson of the party. On 5 December 2012, in the days leading up to the2013 elections while polls showed Kadima either barely getting into the Knesset or not even passing the threshold, Itzik announced she was taking a break from politics and dropping out of the race.[4]
Itzik contested in the2014 Israeli presidential election, coming third with 28 votes. Her supporters came from across the political spectrum.
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Leaders of the opposition in Israel  | |
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