Dalia Itstik Speaker of the Israeli Knesset. Country: Israel

1. Biography of Dalia Itzik
2. Political Career
3. Speaker of the Knesset
4. Dalia Itzik is married and has three children.

Biography of Dalia Itzik

Dalia Itzik was born in 1952 in Jerusalem to a family of repatriates from Iraq. She graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a Bachelor's degree in literature and history. She also holds a teacher's diploma from the Efrata Teacher Seminar and a law degree from the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya.

Political Career

Itzik began her political career in the Labor Party, where she served as chair of the party's legislative council and was a member of the central committee. She worked in the Jerusalem government as the deputy mayor for education. Additionally, she served on the board of the Israel Broadcasting Authority, Jerusalem Theater, and the Gerard Behar Center. In 1992, Itzik was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Labor Party. She served on various parliamentary committees, including education and culture, women's status, science and technology, internal affairs and environmental issues, and constitution, legislation, and judiciary. From May 1995 to June 1996, she chaired the Education and Culture Committee, and during the 16th Knesset (2003–2006), she led the united parliamentary faction of Labor and Meimad (a left-wing Zionist party).

From July 1999 to March 2001, Itzik served as the Minister of Environmental Protection, and then from March 2001 to October 2002, she was the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Labor. In October 2002, she resigned along with other Labor Party ministers. Due to her harsh statements against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Likud party, Itzik was excluded from negotiations to form a new coalition government. However, she was appointed as a member of the government in January 2005 and became the Minister of Communications. Itzik left the ministerial post in November 2005 when the new leader of the Labor Party, Amir Peretz, withdrew his party members from the government coalition. Itzik was a close ally of veteran Israeli politician Shimon Peres in the Labor Party and joined Sharon's new party, Kadima, with him in November 2005.

Speaker of the Knesset

In May 2006, the leader of Kadima and interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert nominated Itzik for the position of Speaker of the Knesset. Despite opposition from her former Labor Party colleagues, she was elected as the speaker, becoming the first woman in Israel's history to hold this position. In September 2006, after the end of the Israel-Lebanon conflict, Itzik called on the leader of the opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud, to join the ruling coalition in order to form a "national emergency government." She made similar appeals to the leaders of other opposition parties, including Avigdor Lieberman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party. However, Itzik's calls were met with skepticism.

According to Israeli media reports, Itzik had long aspired to become the Speaker of the Knesset and advocated for the importance of the Knesset in Israel's political system. In late 2006, she advocated for prioritizing the decisions of the Knesset over the Supreme Court. On January 25, the Knesset granted President Moshe Katsav's request to temporarily suspend his presidential powers. This move by Katsav was related to an investigation into allegations of sexual crimes against him. According to Israeli law, Itzik temporarily assumed the duties of the president.

Dalia Itzik is married and has three children.