{{Short description|Israeli politician (born 1947)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Eli Ben-Menachem, 1989 Dan Hadani Archive.jpg | caption = Ben-Menachem in 1989 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|11|24|df=yes}} | birth_place = Bombay, India | office1 = Faction represented in the Knesset | suboffice1 = Alignment | subterm1 = 1988–1991 | suboffice2 = Labor Party | subterm2 = 1991–1999 | suboffice3 = One Israel | subterm3 = 1999–2001 | suboffice4 = Labor Party | subterm4 = 2001–2006 }}
'''Eli Ben-Menachem''' ({{langx|he|אלי בן-מנחם}}; born 24 November 1947) is an Israeli former politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment, the Labor Party and One Israel between 1988 and 2006.
==Biography== Born in Bombay, India (today Mumbai), Ben-Menachem emigrated to Israel in 1949. He studied at a military academy, and worked as an aircraft technician, eventually becoming chairman of the El Al workers' union.
In 1988 he was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment list. After being re-elected in 1992 (this time on the Labor Party list), he was appointed Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office on 4 August 1992. On 8 April 1993 he became Deputy Minister of Housing and Construction, a post he held until Binyamin Netanyahu formed a Likud-led government in 1996. Following the 1996 elections, Ben-Menachem became chairman of the committee on Drug Abuse.
He was placed 27th on the One Israel list (an alliance of Labor, Gesher and Meimad) for the May 1999 elections,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010418024116/http://info.jpost.com/1999/Supplements/Elections99/politicalblocs/partylists.shtml Parties and Lists] The Jerusalem Post</ref> and lost his seat when the alliance won only 26 mandates. However, he re-entered the Knesset when Yossi Beilin resigned his seat in November that year. When Ariel Sharon formed a government of national unity in March 2001, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, serving until Labor withdrew from the coalition in November 2002.<ref name=GA/><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/oct/31/wrap.markoliver Israeli coalition falls apart] The Guardian, 31 October 2022</ref>
He retained his seat in the 2003 elections and became a Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. During Labor's stint in the Ariel Sharon government between January and November 2005, Ben-Menachem was re-appointed Deputy Minister of Housing and Construction.<ref name=GA>[https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/MK/APPS/mk/mk-government-activity/22 Eli Ben-Menachem: Government Activity] Knesset</ref>
After losing the slot on Labor's list reserved for the representative of poor neighbourhoods to Yoram Marciano, he left the party and joined Kadima.<ref>[http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395428994&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter Kadima below 40 seats in 'Post' poll] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807114052/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395428994&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer |date=7 August 2012 }} The Jerusalem Post, 16 February 2006</ref> He lost his seat in the 2006 elections and became head of the Kadima faction in the Histadrut. He was placed 48th on the Kadima list for the 2009 elections,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140914195222/http://en.idi.org.il/media/394371/%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%94%2018.pdf Kadima list] Israel Democracy Institute</ref> failing to win a seat.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{MKlink|id=22}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben-Menachem, Eli}} Category:1947 births Category:Indian Jews Category:Politicians from Mumbai Category:Indian emigrants to Israel Category:Jewish Israeli politicians Category:Israeli people of Indian-Jewish descent Category:Israeli trade unionists Category:Living people Category:Alignment (Israel) politicians Category:One Israel politicians Category:Israeli Labor Party politicians Category:Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992) Category:Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996) Category:Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999) Category:Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003) Category:Members of the 16th Knesset (2003–2006) Category:Deputy ministers of Israel Category:Deputy speakers of the Knesset Category:Politicians of Indian descent