Yariv Oppenheimer | |
|---|---|
יריב אופנהיימר | |
 | |
| Born | Yariv Oppenheimer 5 December 1976 |
| Occupation(s) | Member of Peace Now leadership Publicist TV & Radio Commentator |
| Known for | Former Secretary General of Peace Now |
Yariv Oppenheimer is an Israeli human rights activist and politician. He was the director of Peace Now [1] for a year and a half until his resignation in April 2016, reportedly due to internal struggles. [2] [3]
Oppenheimer was born on 5 December 1976 in Tel Aviv. His grandfather, Gershon Schatz (1905-1963; Hebrew article here) was one of the founding members of Betar and also a member of the National Workers' Union, Brit HaBirionim and Lehi. Oppenheimer grew up in Ramat Gan and graduated from Blich Municipal High School. [4]
In 1995, he joined the IDF and served as a recruit commander and continued to serve in the reserves, including an operational deployment in the West Bank. He began his political career when he was 15, as an activist in the Labor Party's youth department during the elections for the Thirteenth Knesset. [5] [6]
After completing his military service, he returned to work as part of the Young Guard youth movement of the Israeli Labor Party and a few months later was appointed director of the youth wing of the party. In this capacity, he managed the youth activities during the election campaign of Ehud Barak. After four years, was appointed spokesperson for the Peace Now. And after a year and a half as speaker, he was appointed secretary-general of the movement. He resigned his post in April 2016. [7]
Oppenheimer was married on November 2018 and his first child was born on 19 May 2019. [8] [9]
In the framework of his activities in Peace Now, Oppenheimer dealt with the struggle for an establishment of Palestinian state, the cessation of Israeli settlement construction and the evacuation of Israeli outposts. He wrote articles and op-eds in Maariv , Yedioth Ahronoth and Haaretz . He also appeared in dozens of events, public confrontations and media debates with right wing activists.
In the year preceding the Gaza disengagement plan, he was one of the initiators of demonstrations in favor of leaving the Gaza Strip. During his term as secretary-general of Peace Now, the movement has petitioned the Supreme Court of Israel demanding the evacuation of outposts and other illegal sites that were built in the Israeli-occupied territories. The legal activity led, inter alia, to the evacuation of Migron outpost and buildings from the Amona outpost. [10]
Oppenheimer frequently uses social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to promote public activism. He led a campaign to disqualify Im Tirtzu from participating in the "One Million Good Reasons" competition organised by Bank Leumi, on the grounds that the competition regulations would not allow the participation of associations and groups with political goals and agenda. Following the criticism from the left wing and right wing politicians, the Bank decided to cancel the competition. [11] [12]
Oppenheimer objected to several bills that tried to lead the coalition in the Eighteenth Knesset, including legislation limiting the sources of funding for Nonprofit organizations and the Regulation Law, designed to prevent the implementation of the Beit El evacuation. [13]
In the election of the Nineteenth Knesset, Oppenheimer complained to the Central Elections Committee regarding The Jewish Home party using the images of IDF soldiers in uniform as part of its election campaign. Chairman of the Elections Committee, Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, accepted the petition and ruled that the use of the pictures actually contradicts the laws of the election campaign and therefore The Jewish Home party had to pay a fine of NIS 2,000 as state compensation and NIS 1,000 to Oppenheimer for expenses. [14]
In addition to his activities in Peace Now, Oppenheimer was elected to the Labor Party convention. He ran for a slot on the party's Knesset list, once for the youth place and twice for the national primaries. In all cases, he was unable to enter a realistic place. [15]
In the early elections for the Nineteenth Knesset, there were about 8,000 supporters and he was placed in the 27th place on the party list. After the retirement of Amir Peretz, who retired from the party on the morning of the day the lists were submitted, all the party candidates were "frozen" in one place and he was placed in the 26th place. Oppenheimer argued that the votes should be recalculated to take into account the reserved positions on the list, but his demand was not accepted. [16]
In 2015, he announced his intention to step down as Peace Now director-general, but not from the movement's leadership. In April 2016, Avi Buskila was appointed secretary-general and Oppenheimer resigned from the position. But he remained a member of the board. [17]
Oppenheimer ran for a spot on the Meretz list for the April 2019 Israeli legislative election. [1] He obtained 13th place on the Meretz list, [18] and did not enter the Knesset. [19]
The political right in Israel frequently attacks Oppenheimer and the right-wing satirical site Latma portrayed him in its sketches as a satirical figure named "Yariv Googleheimer" played by actor Noam Jacobson, who represents Oppenheimer as a supporter of the boycott of Israel, and a collaborator with the Palestinians and anti-Israeli activists. In response to the sketches, Oppenheimer said that he is a victim of "character assassination". [20] [21]
Oppenheimer received threats to his life, and for a short time the Israel Police placed security near his home. In 2014, Oppenheimer signed a police complaint against right wing activist Baruch Marzel alleging threats against his life by his followers. [22]
In 2009, he sent a photo crew to interview right-wing Knesset members, posing as students. Oppenheimer admitted that he was behind the act and that the Knesset officer filed a complaint against him against the police for impersonation. As a result, Oppenheimer was banned from entering the Knesset compound by then Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin. [23] Oppenheimer announced that there had been a misunderstanding, and that Peace Now would not repeat such actions in the Knesset. As a result, Rivlin later renewed Oppenheimer's entry permit. [24]
In 2011, Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an article "WikiLeaks exclusive", which revealed that Oppenheimer maintained contacts with the U.S. Embassy, where he gave them information about Israeli settlement construction in West Bank. [25]
Peace Now is a non-governmental organization, liberal advocacy and activist group in Israel with the aim of promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Likud, officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing parties. Likud's landslide victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had lost power. In addition, it was the first time in Israel that a right-wing party won the plurality of the votes. After ruling the country for most of the 1980s, the party lost the Knesset election in 1992. Likud's candidate Benjamin Netanyahu won the vote for Prime Minister in 1996 and was given the task of forming a government after the 1996 elections. Netanyahu's government fell apart after a vote of no confidence, which led to elections being called in 1999 and Likud losing power to the One Israel coalition led by Ehud Barak.
Gush Shalom is an Israeli peace activism group founded by Uri Avnery in 1993. Avnery–a former journalist, Irgun and Knesset member–also led the organization till his death in 2018. The left-wing organization has been involved in several Israeli controversies, such as sending a "Relief Convoy to Gaza" while it is under Hamas administration, and the mainstream Israeli media has described it, on occasion, as "radical" and "extreme". In 2010, the American Friends Service Committee has described the group as "one of Israel's most influential peace organizations".
Yossi Sarid was an Israeli politician and news commentator. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment, Ratz and Meretz between 1974 and 2006. A former Minister of Education and Minister of the Environment, he led Meretz between 1996 and 2003 and served as Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. Known for his determined moral stance and his willingness to pay the political price for that determination, Sarid was often referred to as Israel's moral compass.
Nitzan Horowitz is a politician and former journalist who served as Israel's Minister of Health from 2021 to 2022. He is the former leader of Meretz. He previously was the chief U.S. correspondent and commentator for the Israeli News Company, known as Channel 2 News.
Moshe "Mossi" Raz is an Israeli politician. He was a member of the Knesset for Meretz in three spells between 2000 and 2022.
Yair Golan is an Israeli politician and senior military officer. He served as the Deputy Minister of Economy in the Thirty-sixth Israeli government, and served as a Member of the Knesset representing Meretz from 2019–2022. He is a reserve major general (Aluf) in the Israel Defense Forces. During his military service he served, among other roles, as the IDF Deputy Chief of Staff, Commander of the Home Front Command and Commander of the Northern Command.
Yariv Gideon Levin is an Israeli lawyer and politician who serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice. He served as Speaker of the Knesset in December 2022, previously serving that role from 2020 to 2021. He currently serves as a member of Knesset for Likud, and previously held the posts of Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Aliyah and Integration.
Early elections for the nineteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 22 January 2013. Public debate over the Tal Law had nearly led to early elections in 2012, but they were aborted at the last moment after Kadima briefly joined the government. The elections were later called in early October 2012 after failure to agree on the budget for the 2013 fiscal year.
Amiram Goldblum is an Israeli chemist and activist in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He is Professor Emeritus of Computational Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Pharmacy. He holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the Hebrew University. He is the head of the Molecular Modelling and Drug Design unit at the university's Institute for Drug Research.
Israeli polls do not take the electoral threshold into account in a uniform fashion. Some polls report the number of seats each party would win purely according to the percentages, as though there were no threshold; others eliminate parties that poll below the threshold and distribute the 120 available Knesset seats only among those who pass it. As a result, parties that poll at or near the threshold can show inconsistent results, bouncing between 0 and the minimum 3 or 4 seats.
Zehava Galon, is an Israeli politician, the president of the research institute ZULAT for Equality and Human Rights and former leader of Meretz.
Meretz is a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It currently has no seats in the Knesset, following its failure to pass the electoral threshold in the 2022 elections.
In the run-up to the April 2019 Israeli legislative election, which was held on 9 April, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in Israel. Results of such polls are displayed in this article, ranging from the previous legislative election, held on 17 March 2015, to the 2019 election.
In the run up to the 2020 Israeli legislative election, various organisations carry out opinion polling to gauge voting intention in Israel during the term of the 22nd Knesset. This article lists the results of such polls.
Noam is a far-right Orthodox Jewish, Religious Zionist political party in Israel, officially established in July 2019 by a very conservative faction in the Religious Zionist community inspired by Rabbi Zvi Thau and his Har Hamor Yeshiva. The party's main goal is to advance policies against LGBT rights, and against what its backers call "the destruction of the family". Avi Maoz, the party's leader, was elected to the Knesset in 2021, and is the party's sole representative.
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 1 November 2022 to elect the 120 members of the 25th Knesset. The results saw the right-wing national camp of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu win a parliamentary majority, amid losses for left-wing and Arab parties, as well as gains by the far-right.
In the run up to the 2022 Israeli legislative election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intention in Israel during the term of the 24th Knesset. This article lists the results of such polls.
An election was held for the leadership of the Meretz party on March 22, 2018. It saw the election of Tamar Zandberg.
The 2022 Meretz leadership election was held on 23 August 2022 in the leadup to the 2022 Israeli legislative election. On 12 July, incumbent Nitzan Horowitz announced that he would not seek re-election as leader. Former party leader Zehava Gal-On defeated former deputy Chief of the General Staff Yair Golan.