Michael Ratzon ( he, מיכאל רצון, born 21 September 1952) is a former

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i politician who briefly served as a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

for the

Likud Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...

in 1996 and again from 2003 until 2006.

Biography

Born in

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...

, Ratzon gained an LLB and an MA in law 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 ...

, before working as an attorney. For the 1992 Knesset elections he was placed 35th on the Likud list, but the party won only 32 seats. However, he entered the Knesset on 10 March 1996 as a replacement for the deceased Ariel Weinstein. Three months later he lost his seat following the May 1996 elections. For the 2003 elections he was placed 20th on the Likud list, and entered the Knesset when the party won 38 seats. Whilst an MK he served as a member of several committees; the House Committee, the Finance Committee, the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, the Public Petitions Committee, and was a member of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee for Uncovering Corruption in the Government System. On 5 March 2003 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, but was sacked by

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...

in October 2004 for voting against the Gaza disengagement plan. Prior to the 2006 elections he was placed 33rd on the Likud list, and lost his seat when the party won only 12 mandates. During

Yisrael Katz Yisrael Katz ( he, ישראל כץ, 6 December 1927 – 29 October 2010) was an Israeli scholar, civil servant and politician who served as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. He was one of the most influential people in Israel in the creation ...

's term as transportation minister, Ratzon was appointed as the chairman of NTA, which is responsible for the

Tel Aviv Light Rail Dankal ( he, דנקל‎, commonly known as the Tel Aviv Light Rail) is a planned mass transit system for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in central Israel. The system will include different modes of mass transit, including rapid transit (metro), ...

project.

Personal

Married to Dr. Navah Ratzon, father of five: Eshbal, Re'em, Oded, Anva and Ofri, and grandfather of two: Reshit and Niv.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ratzon, Michael 1952 births People from Petah Tikva Bar-Ilan University alumni Israeli lawyers Living people Likud politicians Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996) Members of the 16th Knesset (2003–2006)