Haim Bibas
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Haim Bibas ( he, חיים ביבס; born 1 December 1969) is the third mayor of
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut ( he, מוֹדִיעִין-מַכַּבִּים-רֵעוּת) is an Israeli city located in central Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In t ...
, an Israeli city, in office since 2008. Bibas has lived there with his wife and three children since 1997. He is the head of The Federation of Local Authorities in Israel since 2014.


Education and army service

Bibas holds a bachelor's degree from the Department of Political Science,
University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...
and a master's degree in Public Administration and Local Government, from
Bar Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
. His thesis was on local government reform and professional city management. Bibas is a lieutenant colonel in IDF reserves.


Political career

Prior to being elected mayor in 2008 as Mayor of Modi'in Maccabim-Reut, Bibas served as Modi'in's voluntary Deputy Mayor. In 2007, Bibas served as the head of
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
's election campaign for Prime Minister. In January, 2012, he was reappointed as chairman of Netanyahu's reelection campaign in the Likud elections. Previous positions include; Director of International Projects and Development in Local Government, responsible for the construction of public institutions and local authorities. Bibas has held several positions in municipal management in local government. He was director of National Construction and Development Division and Construction Project Manager of Jerusalem and Central Region Environment and Transportation Authority. Bibas has been responsible for Modi'in's Planning and Development, a member of the City Council and Strategic Planning Team and a member of Modi'in's Education, Planning and Construction, Finance, Transportation and Security Committees. In January, 2014, Bibas was elected as the head of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, winning 60 per cent of the vote. The Federation is the umbrella organisation for 265 local authorities, responsible for representing them to national government and other bodies.


In the News

In August, 2012, the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
added Modi'in Maccabim-Reut to the list of
Israeli settlements Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli se ...
whose exports will not be considered as made in Israel, and thus no longer be eligible for tax breaks when imported to EU member countries. Bibas published an Op-Ed in the EU Observer countering the fact-less decision. He notoriously challenged this decision citing that "Not only is it an affront to the city of Modi’in. It is also an insulting and dangerous imposition on the sovereignty of the State of Israel, by seeking to unilaterally impose the limits of Israeli authority. Ours is a country which dreams of peace and will continue to strive for co-existence with our neighbours. Yet, the European Union’s decision, taken without real knowledge or understanding of our municipality and our region, is in danger of extending the boundaries of the conflict." In January, 2013, the
Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...
published an Op-Ed by Bibas addressing the importance of education in growing the country's enlistment rate in the
Israel Defense Force The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
, specifically among
Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
and Arab communities. He stated that "The introduction of suitable educational programs in Haredi and Arab schools must be made possible to help these communities slowly but surely internalize the benefits of service". That same month, Modi'in Maccabim-Reut was recognized for having the highest enlistment rate in the country for the second year.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibas, Haim 1969 births Living people Bar-Ilan University alumni Deputy mayors of places in Israel Jewish Israeli politicians Mayors of places in Israel People from Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut University of Haifa alumni People from Beit She'an Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent