Moshe Kahlon ( he, מֹשֶׁה כַּחְלוֹן, born 19 November 1960) is a retired Israeli politician. Between 2003 and 2013 he 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
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 ...
, and as
Minister of Communications and
Minister of Welfare & Social Services. After taking a break from politics, he founded the
Kulanu
Kulanu ( he, כולנו, lit. ''All of Us'') was a centrist political party in Israel founded by Moshe Kahlon that focused on economic and cost-of-living issues.
History
The party was established on 27 November 2014 following months of spec ...
party in 2014, and returned to the Knesset the following year. In 2015, he was appointed
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
in the
Netanyahu IV cabinet. On 12 January 2020, Kahlon announced that he would be retiring from politics.
He is known for championing socioeconomic issues like the
eradication of poverty and
income inequality
There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of we ...
.
Early life
Moshe Kahlon was born in the
Givat Olga neighborhood of
Hadera
Hadera ( he, חֲדֵרָה ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5&nb ...
. He was the fifth of seven children born to
Libyan Jewish parents who had immigrated from
Tripoli
Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to:
Cities and other geographic units Greece
*Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
.
His father worked in construction. He served in the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
from 1978 to 1986, in the
Ordnance Corps. After completing his army service he started a business of importing car appliances . He earned a
BA in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and general studies from the
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 ...
before going on to study law and gaining an
LLB
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from the
Netanya Academic College
Netanya Academic College ( he, האקדמית נתניה, ''HaAkademit Netanya'') is a private college based in Netanya, Israel. Established in 1994 by a team from Bar-Ilan University, it has an enrolment of around 4,000 undergraduate students. It ...
. In 2013, he attended the six-week advanced management program at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.
Political career
Kahlon became politically active in the late 1980s, when he helped Rami Dotan campaign for mayor of
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
. It was in the context of this election campaign that he met
Uzi Landau
Uzi Landau ( he, עוזי לנדאו, born 2 August 1943) is an Israeli politician and systems analyst. He served as a member of the Knesset for Likud between 1984 and 2006, and for Yisrael Beiteinu between 2009 and 2015. He also held several mi ...
, who appointed him his Bureau Chief when he became Minister of Public Security in 2001. Kahlon served in this position for a year. Kahlon was first elected to the Knesset in the
2003 elections, and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. In the run up to the
2006 elections, he won third place on Likud's list in the party's primaries. He retained his seat again in the
2009 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2009.
* Electoral calendar 2009
* 2009 United Nations Security Council election
Caribbean
* 2009 Antiguan general election
* 2009 Aruban general election
* 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
after being placed sixth on the Likud list, and was appointed Minister of Communications on 31 March.
In the Knesset, he worked to pass a bill to reduce electricity charges for poor families and headed an inquiry into bank fees. Kahlon was also credited with leading the "Cellular Revolution"—a set of policies that allowed new competitors to enter the cellular communications market in Israel, including
Golan Telecom
Golan Telecom ( he, גולן טלקום) is a mobile network operator in Israel. It was founded in 2010 and offers a range of mobile phone and internet services to residential and business customers. In July 2011 the company won a tender to oper ...
. This drastically reduced cellular communications prices in the Israeli market.
On 19 January 2011, he was appointed
Minister of Welfare & Social Services after the resignation of
Isaac Herzog
Isaac "Bougie" Herzog ( he, יצחק "בוז׳י" הרצוג, Yitskhak "Buzhi" Hertsog; born 22 September 1960) is an Israeli politician who has been serving as the 11th president of Israel since 2021. He is the first president to be born in ...
.
![Israeli legislative election, 2015, Moshe Kahlon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Israeli_legislative_election%2C_2015%2C_Moshe_Kahlon.JPG)
Kahlon announced he would be taking a break from politics, and did not run in the
2013 Knesset elections. In response to reports that he was going to form a new political party, Kahlon announced on 3 November 2013 that he would not. It was subsequently reported that Kahlon would initiate a new party to run in the
next Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections are expected to be held in Israel by 27 October 2026 to elect the members of the twenty-sixth Knesset.
Background
After the 36th government lost its majority, the 2022 snap election was called. This resulted in the Neta ...
; possible running-mates were reported to include
Yoav Galant
Yoav Galant (; born 8 November 1958) is an Israeli politician currently serving as the Minister of Defense since 2022. He is a former commander of the Southern Command in the Israel Defense Forces. In January 2015, he entered politics, joinin ...
and
Meir Dagan
Aluf (Major General) Meir Dagan ( he, מאיר דגן; 30 January 1945 – 17 March 2016) was an Israel Defense Forces Major General (reserve) and Director of the Mossad.
Personal life and education
Meir Huberman (later Dagan) was born on a tr ...
. In April 2014, after a period of silence, Kahlon announced in an interview with the newspaper ''
Yedioth Ahronoth
''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...
'' his intention to return to politics "imminently", but that he had not decided on a "framework" for his return; in the same interview, he criticised the socio-economic and diplomatic policies of prime minister
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 ...
, adding to speculation that he would attempt to run against Netanyahu in the future elections. In 2014, he indeed founded a new political party, the
Kulanu
Kulanu ( he, כולנו, lit. ''All of Us'') was a centrist political party in Israel founded by Moshe Kahlon that focused on economic and cost-of-living issues.
History
The party was established on 27 November 2014 following months of spec ...
party, ahead of the expected March 2015 elections. He announced several new members of his Knesset list: former ambassador to the US
Michael Oren
Michael Bornstein Oren (Hebrew: מיכאל אורן; born Michael Scott Bornstein; May 20, 1955) is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States (2009–2013), former member of the Knesset for ...
, Israel Prize winner
Eli Alaluf
Eli Alaluf ( he, אלי אלאלוף; born 17 February 1945) is an Israeli politician. Formerly a senior bureaucrat for the Israeli government and Israeli NGOs, who later served as a member of the Knesset for Kulanu.
Biography
Alaluf was born in ...
,
Yifat Sasha-Biton
Yifat Shasha-Biton (, born 23 May 1973) is an Israeli educator and politician. She was appointed Minister of Education in June 2021. She was elected to the twenty-fourth Knesset on the New Hope list, after serving as an MK for Kulanu and Liku ...
, a former deputy mayor of
Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona ( he, קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, ''lit.'' Town of the Eight) is a city in the Northern District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanese border. The city was named after the eight people, includi ...
and Deputy Jerusalem Mayor
Rachel Azaria
Rachel Azaria ( he, רחל עזריה, born 21 December 1977), is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Kulanu. She previously served as deputy mayor and member of the Jerusalem City Council.
Biography
Rachel Azaria was ...
.
Kulanu subsequently won ten seats in the
2015 elections
The following elections were scheduled to occur in the year 2015.
Africa
* 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015
* 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015
* 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015
* 2015 Burun ...
. The party joined Binyamin Netanyahu's
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
, with Kahlon appointed Minister of Finance on 14 May 2015. He also briefly served as
Minister of Environmental Protection from 31 May 2016 to 1 August 2016 and as
Minister of the Economy from 1 August 2016 until 23 January 2017. He resigned from the Knesset on 29 January 2016 and was replaced by
Akram Hasson
Akram Hasson ( ar, أكرم حسون, he, אכרם חסון, born 2 July 1959) is an Israeli Druze politician who served as a member of the Knesset in several spells from 2012 to 2019, first as MK for Kadima between 2012 and 2013, and then as a ...
, while retaining his ministerial portfolios under the
Norwegian Law.
In the
April 2019 Israeli legislative election
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.
April is commonly associated with ...
, Kulanu won 4 seats, losing 6. The party merged with
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 ...
on 28 May 2020, with Kahlon placing fifth on the party slate for the
following election.
On 27 April 2020, a source close to Kahlon told
Al-Monitor that Kahlon was speeding up his retirement and was planning to resign from Netanyahu's government before a new Israeli government was formed.
However, he subsequently announced that he would not retire until a new government was formed. Kahlon officially left politics on 17 May 2020 when
Israel Katz
Israel Katz ( ''Yisrael Katz'', born 21 September 1955) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud. He was a member of the Security Cabinet of Israel. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Agr ...
replaced him as Minister of Finance.
Career after leaving Knesset
In November 2020, it was announced that Kahlon was to head a new investment fund founded with members of the
House of Al Falahi
The House of Al Falahi is a tribal clan that belongs to Bani Yas tribal confederation. The ruling family of Al Nahyan of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi comes from this house and tribe. It is blood related to the House of Al Falasi that Al Maktoum, the r ...
in the wake of the
Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement
The Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, officially the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel, was initially agr ...
.
Other activities
*
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (2015-2020)
*
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially focus ...
(EBRD), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (2015-2020)
*
Inter-American Investment Corporation
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an International financial institutions, international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development finan ...
(IIC), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (2015-2020)
Board of Governors
Inter-American Investment Corporation
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an International financial institutions, international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development finan ...
(IIC).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahlon, Moshe
1960 births
Living people
Deputy Speakers of the Knesset
Israeli people of Libyan-Jewish descent
Kulanu politicians
Likud politicians
Members of the 16th Knesset (2003–2006)
Members of the 17th Knesset (2006–2009)
Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013)
Members of the 20th Knesset (2015–2019)
Members of the 21st Knesset (2019)
Members of the 22nd Knesset (2019–2020)
Ministers of Finance of Israel
Ministers of Environment of Israel
Israeli Mizrahi Jews
People from Hadera
University of Haifa alumni
Ministers of Communications of Israel