Ofir Akunis
Date of birth	(1973-05-28) 28 May 1973 (age 39)
Place of birth	Tel Aviv, Israel
Knessets	18
Party	Likud

Ofir Akunis (Hebrew: אופיר אקוניס‎, born 28 May 1973) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset on behalf of the Likud party, and as Deputy Speaker of the House.

Biography[link]

Early Life[link]

Akunis was born in Tel Aviv in 1973 and educated at Herzliya Hebrew High School (1987-1991). He served as youth correspondent for the weekly "Ma'ariv LaNoar" magazine. During his national service he served as a military correspondent for the Chief Education Officer of the Education and Youth Corps. After his army service he served as music editor of the radio program "Youth Club" on Reshet Gimmel, and on other programs. He completed his bachelor's degree in political science and international relations.^[1] In January 1996 he joined the Likud party and began working in the information department at Metzudat Ze'ev in Tel Aviv. In June 1996, when Binyamin Netanyahu became Prime Minister after winning the elections, Ofir Akunis served as Deputy Media Advisor to the Prime Minister. He subsequently became Speaker for the Likud party.^[1] In 2003 he won the Menachem Begin Award for his thesis "Morals and Realism in Israeli Politics". Served as Speaker for the Minister of Justice, and in 2004 was appointed Media Advisor for Netanyahu in the Ministry of Finance. He continued to serve as his advisor until 2008 before being appointed as Deputy Director of Communications and Information for the Likud.

The 18th Knesset[link]

MK Akunis delivers a speech from the Knesset rostrum, July 2010

Prior to the 2009 elections, Akunis participated in the primaries for the Likud and reached the 28th place. He submitted a petition to the election committee of the Likud together with other candidates. On 12 December 2008 the petition was accepted, and subsequently was promoted to the 26th place on the list, which is reserved for the Tel Aviv district. Post factum, it turned out that if the petition was not accepted, he would not have been elected to the Knesset, as the Likud won 27 mandates in the elections.^[2] Akunis was subsequently moved up to twenty-sixth place, and entered the Knesset as Likud won 27 seats.

During his first two years as a Knesset member, Ofir Akunis served as Chairman of the Economic Committee. He was also appointed Deputy Speaker of the House. After the flotilla to Gaza, Ofir Akunis confronted the Knesset members of the Balad party several times, and even announced several times that as the Likud's representative to the Central Elections Committee he would demand the disqualification of their list and the disqualification of MK Hanin Zuabi, who participated in the flotilla. According to the statistics of the Knesset Ofir Akunis is considered a very active member, both in the Knesset plenum and in the committees in which he participates.

Economic Committee Activities[link]

During his service as Chairman of the Economic Committee, Ofir Akunis collaborated with the Minister of Communications Moshe Kahlon in opening the cellular communications market to competition, including supporting a decrease in link fees and adding virtual operators and new companies to this market. He promoted the consumer cash refund law and initiated the reverse interest law. In the television sector he promoted legislation regulating the transition from franchises to licenses, and initiated the increase of channels broadcasted free of charge by the "Idan+" DDT broadcasting service. He objected to the Ministry of Finance's demand to increase radio and television fees, and actually lead to its decrease.

Legislation[link]

Ofir Akunis promoted consumer, civilian and political related legislation, among them:

• Legislation enabling parking at bus stations on holidays
• Legislation providing free water saving devices ("chaschamim")
• Legislation prohibiting cable and satellite broadcasting companies to charge fines for terminating services
• In December 2010 an amendment to the Flag and State Symbol Law was approved, stipulating that State flags must be manufactured in Israel. The amendment was submitted together with MK Shelly Yechimovitch and other MKs
• Proposed legislation requiring a referendum to be held for any future political agreement with the Palestinian Authority regarding the future of Yehuda and Shomron
• MK Akunis is one of the initiators of the "Embargo Prohibition Law", the purpose of which is to prevent any party banning Israel to benefit from financing or services provided by the State, including prohibiting their entrance into the country

Additional functions in the Knesset and the Likud[link]

• Member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
• Member of the State Inspection Committee
• Member of the Children's Rights Committee
• Joint Chairman (together with MK Shai Chermesh) of the "Knesset Forum for International Relations " lobby
• Chairman of the Committee for issues relating to the Second Television and Radio Authority
• Chairman of the Likud's response team
• Likud's representative in the Central Elections Committee

His Opinions[link]

MK Akunis has mentioned many times that he operates in the spirit of the late Menachem Begin. When commencing his function as Chairman of the Economic Committee he committed himself to a "free economy with social sensitivity", which is the basis of the Likud's outlook. He supports the concept of decreasing direct and indirect taxes imposed on the public. Akunis is also of the opinion that one of the ways to reduce prices is to abolish monopolies and duopolies, breaking up centralizations and encouraging competition in the Israeli market, also by reducing custom fees on imported products. His views on political and security issues place Akunis in the right wing of the Likud: he is opposed to the formula "two states for two nations" and perceives the Palestinians as an obstacle for peace in the Middle East. In the past he has proposed a 20 year long-term intermediate settlement, so that "the Palestinians born now will not be educated on the narrative of the right of return to Acre, Ramla, Lod, Jaffa and Ashkelon". Akunis is opposed to relinquishing the Occupied Territories and supports settlement in all parts of the country "with no disparity between the Golan, the Galil, the Negev or Yehuda and Shomron". Akunis believes that Israel has the historical and moral right to Western Israel, according to the teachings of Jabotinsky, "All Mine". MK Akunis supports the strategic alliance between Israel and the United States, but mentioned more than once that Israel is an independent State in its decisions. He has expressed support of the peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt.

Akunis, who sponsored the bill to limit foreign funding to Israeli human rights organization, stood behind Senator Joseph's McCarthy's actions in the 1950s. Speaking on December 5th on the "London and Kirshenbaum" television show on Israel's Channel 10, Akunis referenced Mccarthy– who in the 1950s presided over a committee that investigated Americans suspected of harboring Communist views – said "was right in every word, the fact is -there were Soviet agents.

His personal life[link]

Ofir Akunis is married to Adi and father of their two children. He is a resident of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.^[1]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ofir Akunis Knesset website

Shai Hermesh
Date of birth	(1944-03-23) 23 March 1944 (age 68)
Place of birth	Tel Aviv, Mandate Palestine
Knessets	17, 18
Party	Kadima

Shai Hermesh (Hebrew: שי חרמש‎, born 23 March 1944) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Kadima.

Biography[link]

Born in Tel Aviv in 1944, Hermesh spent his military service in the Nahal and the paratroop brigade. With the conclusion of his military service in 1965, he became a member of kibbutz Kfar Aza, situated on the Gaza Strip border. A year later, in the Six-Day War, Hermesh served as a combat soldier in the paratroop brigade, under the command of colonel Motta Gur in the battle to capture Jerusalem.

From 1967 to 1972 Hermesh studied economics and sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, gaining a BA, and later acquired an MBA from the same university. During his studies, he was community manager in his kibbutz as well as a member of the United Kibbutz Movement secretariat.

In the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Hermesh was a combat soldier in the paratroop force that crossed the Suez Canal under the command of General Ariel Sharon. After the conflict, Hermesh served as the economics manager of Kfar Aza for three years, followed by another five years as the finance director of Kafrit, a company producing raw material for the plastics industry. At the end of his term of office, he embarked on studies towards a doctorate in the history of the Jewish People in the modern era.

In 1987, after two years during which he was responsible for growing and marketing agricultural produce for export from the Negev farms, Hermesh was elected mayor of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, a position which he retained until 2003. During his time as mayor the council won the Gold Prize for excellence in financial management for six consecutive years,^[1] which led to him being given the Knight of Quality Government Award. Hermesh also held the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee of Sapir Academic College in Sderot. At the same time, he served as a member of the forum of the Broadcasting National Authority and on the National Parks authority, as well as helping to establish Ibim, a new village in the Negev for students during the post-1990 mass immigration from the Former Soviet Union.^[1]

Before the 2006 elections Hermesh left the Labour Party in which he had been active for forty years and joined the new Kadima party. Even before, as a treasurer of the Jewish Agency, he collaborated with Sharon and played a crucial part in defeating the candidacy of Natan Sharansky to the post of the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, which went to Sharon's ally Zeev Bielsky instead. He won 30th place on the party's Knesset list, but narrowly missed out on winning a seat as the party picked up only 29 mandates. However, Kadima MK Uriel Reichman resigned almost immediately after the election after he was not given the Education ministry portfolio he had been promised before the elections (it went to Labour's Yuli Tamir instead). As the next placed candidate on the party's list, Hermesh replaced him in the Knesset.

Placed twenty-fourth on the Kadima list,^[2] Hermesh retained his seat in the 2009 elections.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Shai Hermesh Knesset website