Nissim Vaturi ( he, ניסים ואטורי, born 23 October 1969) is an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset 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 ...
between 2020 and 2021.
Early life and education
Born in
Rishon LeZion
Rishon LeZion ( he, רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן , ''lit.'' First to Zion, Arabic: راشون لتسيون) is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan ar ...
, Vaturi grew up in the Ramat Eliyahu neighborhood of the city. During his youth he was a member of the Rishon branch of the
Betar
The Betar Movement ( he, תנועת בית"ר), also spelled Beitar (), is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky. Chapters sprang up across Europe, even during World War II. After t ...
youth movement, where he was a cadet of Likud member
David Bitan
David Hai Bitan ( he, דָּוִד בִּיטָן, born 8 April 1960) is an Israeli lawyer and politician. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset from the Likud party. During 2016-2017 he served as the Chairman of the Coalition and Chairm ...
. During his national service 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 ...
he commanded an
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...
aircraft recovery team. He married a teacher, with whom he had seven children. The family moved to
Alonei HaBashan in the Golan Heights in 2001 and he ran a cafe in
Katzrin
Katzrin ( he, קַצְרִין; also Qatzrin, ar, قصرين, qaṣrīn) is an Israeli settlement organized as a local council in the Golan Heights. Known as the "capital of the Golan", it is the second-largest locality there after Majdal Sh ...
, but declared bankruptcy in 2015.
[ He received a correspondence doctorate from the in ]Kherson
Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...
, Ukraine in 2008, but the qualification is not recognised in Israel.[Sa'ar's Replacement in Likud Deleted Information About Unrecognized Doctorate]
''Haaretz'', 11 December 2020
Political career
Vaturi also worked as a political advisor to Bitan.[Gideon Sa'ar quits Likud, slams Netanyahu, announces new party]
''The Jerusalem Post'', 8 December 2020
Vaturi was placed thirty-seventh on the Likud list for the April 2019 elections, but the party won only 35 seats. He was placed fortieth for the September 2019 elections, in which Likud won 32 seats. Although he missed out again in the March 2020 elections in which he was placed fortieth and Likud won 36 seats, he entered the Knesset on 11 December 2020 as a replacement for Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Moshe Sa'ar ( he, גִּדְעוֹן סַעַר; born 9 December 1966) is an Israeli politician who has served as Minister of Justice since June 2021. Sa'ar was previously a member of the Knesset for the Likud between 2003 and 2014, as De ...
, who resigned after leaving Likud to establish his own party.[ Placed thirty-seventh on the Likud list for the March 2021 elections, he lost his seat as Likud was reduced to 30 seats.
For the 2022 elections, he was placed twenty-first on Likud's list and was elected to the Knesset again, as Likud won thirty-two seats.
]
Controversies
Toward entering the Knesset in 2022, Vaturi has been accused of manipulating his residential address to secure a more favorable position on the party's list during the primaries. Vaturi initially ran as a representative of regional councils but later changed his registered address to the local council of Katzrin
Katzrin ( he, קַצְרִין; also Qatzrin, ar, قصرين, qaṣrīn) is an Israeli settlement organized as a local council in the Golan Heights. Known as the "capital of the Golan", it is the second-largest locality there after Majdal Sh ...
, which falls under a different electoral district. This change enabled him to secure the 21st spot on the party list, as opposed to the 41st spot he would have held as a representative of regional councils. Critics within the Likud party allege that Vaturi did not genuinely reside in Katzrin and only changed his address for electoral purposes. Although 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 ...
court dismissed a petition against Vaturi on technical grounds, a police complaint has been filed accusing him of submitting a false declaration and fraudulently obtaining a position.
Later that year, another controversy has arisen when Vaturi's name has been found on a construction project in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. Vaturi has been listed as the executing contractor for a recently-started project on Basel Street in the city. The real estate developer explained that they are paying the Knesset member for the use of his construction license. However, officials from the Ministry of Construction and Housing emphasized that a contractor is not allowed to let others use their license. Additionally, serving Knesset members are prohibited from engaging in additional work. Vaturi refused to comment.
In 2023, Vaturi claimed that some parents who support "LGBTQ values" are giving their boys dolls to play with, in order to encourage them to be gay.Likud MK: Some parents try to make their sons gay by giving them dolls to play with.
Times of Israel
''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman. , 1 June 2023.
References
External links
*
1969 births
Living people
People from Rishon LeZion
Israeli settlers
Likud politicians
Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021)
Members of the 25th Knesset (2022–)
Israeli people of Libyan-Jewish descent
Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
Jewish Israeli politicians
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