Chaim Ramon

Chaim Ramon (2009)

Chaim Ramon ( Hebrew חיים רמון; also Haim Ramon; * April 10, 1950 in Jaffa ) is a former Israeli politician who belongs to the Kadima party. He was Israel's Justice Minister from May 4, 2006 until his resignation on August 22, 2006 . On July 4, 2007, Ramon was appointed as the new Deputy Prime Minister of Israel by the incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, succeeding Shimon Peres . He also became a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and a member of the Security Cabinet.

military

Born in Jaffa, Ramon served in the Israeli Air Force where he rose to the rank of officer before studying law at Tel Aviv University .

politics

1978-1992

He joined the Avoda Party, the Israeli Workers' Party, soon after leaving the military, and was Minister of the Young Wing from 1978 to 1989 inclusive. He has been a member of the Knesset since the 1981 election. He has been a member of numerous committees and chaired the Finance Committee from 1988 to 1992. After the Labor Party had formed a government of national unity with the Likud Party for the second time in a row in 1988 , Ramon was one of the party’s internal opponents of the coalition, along with other young politicians such as Jossi Beilin and Avraham Burg . a. for a territorial reorientation of the Labor Party and for talks with the PLO. Ramon also campaigned for reform of the powerful Histadrut union.

1992-1998

In the election of Avoda chairman in 1992, Ramon Yitzchak supported Rabin and was subsequently part of his campaign team. After Rabin's victory in the 1992 Knesset elections, Ramon played a key role as negotiator in establishing the coalition with the religious Shas party and was appointed Minister of Health in Rabin's new government. However, since he was unable to implement his plans for the Histradut reform, he resigned in 1994. As a result, Ramon successfully applied for the chair of the Histradut with the support of Amir Peretz . As the head of his own electoral list with the participation of Shas and the left-wing Meretz , he stood against the Labor Party list. After his victory, he was able to largely implement the reform of the union he was striving for in cooperation with the Labor Party. After Rabin's assassination in 1995, Ramon returned to the government of Shimon Peres , where he served as interior minister. In addition to Ehud Barak , Ramon was one of the favorites at this time to succeed Shimon Peres as party leader of the Avoda. In the 1996 Knesset and Prime Minister elections, Ramon was one of the key campaign strategists alongside Barak, but Peres and the Labor Party lost the elections against the Likud party under Benjamin Netanyahu .

1999-2005

The Labor Party came to power again in 1999 under Ehud Barak, and Ramon was given a post in the Prime Minister's office, overseeing government reform and relations between the government and the Knesset. He took over the post of interior minister for a second time in 2000, which he held until the fall of Barak's government in 2001. He opposed Barak's proposal to join a coalition under Ariel Sharon , and did not participate in the coalition formed by Sharon and Barak's successor as Labor Party leader Benjamin Ben Eliezer . He ran for Labor leadership in November 2002, but lost to Amram Mitzna . Following Ariel Sharon's break with Likud , and the formation of the centrist Kadima party, Ramon fell out with the Labor Party and joined Kadima. He was the first Labor Party politician to join Kadima.

2006

In the Israeli cabinet, which was formed in 2006 and headed by Ehud Olmert , Ramon acted as Minister of Justice. On August 20th, he submitted his resignation, which came into effect on August 22nd.

Israel-Lebanon Conflict

In the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict , Ramon emerged as one of the greatest hawks among cabinet members. On July 27, 2006, Ramon announced that "everyone in southern Lebanon is a terrorist and linked to Hezbollah." He said, “We need to reduce the villages in the south to rubble and ashes. I don't understand that there is still electricity there. "

On August 6, 2006 Ramon told the news agency Reuters with that Israel doubts cherish that Hezbollah one, whatsoever, resolution of the UN Security Council is part of the Israel-Lebanon conflict, comply. Israel will continue its military action, he said.

Sexual Assault Proceedings

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On July 27, 2006, following a seven-hour police interrogation of Ramon, Attorney General Menachem Masus ruled that Ramon was no longer allowed to participate in any legislative process in the area of ​​the Justice Department, including the appointment of judges and the granting from amnesty as long as proceedings against him for sexual assault are pending. After Ramon resigned as Minister of Justice on August 20, 2006 , Meir Shitrit succeeded him as ad interim Minister of Justice on August 23 .

Chaim Ramon with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (2007)

2007 until today

At the beginning of July 2007, Ramon was appointed Deputy Prime Minister (Deputy Prime Minister) of Israel, as well as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and a member of the Security Cabinet.

In a radio interview at the end of July 2007, Ramon spoke out in favor of Israel's extensive withdrawal from the West Bank and declared that, in his view, “the occupation of the territories threatens our existence, our legitimacy and our international reputation”.

After his party decided after the 2009 Knesset elections not to join the new cabinet formed by Benjamin Netanyahu , Ramon was in opposition in the 18th Knesset. On July 2, 2009, he resigned from the Knesset and his party colleague Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich moved up for him.

literature

• Neill Lochery: The Israeli Labor Party. In the Shadow of the Likud . Garnet Reading, 1997.

Web links

• Chaim Ramon. In: Knesset Members. Knesset , accessed March 26, 2014 . 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Haim Ramon becomes Deputy Prime Minister. ( Memento of the original from August 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. see newsletter of July 4, 2007  
2. ^ The 31st Government headed by Ehud Olmert, May 4, 2006 . gov.il
3. ↑ You're all targets, Israel tells Lebanese in South . telegraph.co.uk, July 28, 2006
4. ^ Israel sees only terrorists in S. Lebanon . upi.com, July 27, 2006
5. ^ Sara Roy: A Jewis Plea . Counterpunch, 7./8. April 2007
6. ^ Security Council considers US, French truce plan . CNN , August 5, 2006
7. ^ Accused Israeli minister to quit . BBC , August 18, 2006
8. ^ Plea for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank. Spiegel Online , July 27, 2007