Yitzhak Aharonovich

{{short description|Israeli businessman and politician}} {{for|the Israeli agronomist|Itzhak Arnon}} {{Infobox officeholder |image = יצחק אהרונוביץ, יו"ר תעש מערכות.jpg |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|8|22|df=yes}} |birth_place = [[Jerusalem]], Israel |office1 = Ministerial roles |suboffice1 = [[Tourism Ministry (Israel)|Minister of Tourism]] |subterm1 = 2007–2008 |suboffice2 = [[Ministry of Public Security (Israel)|Minister of Public Security]] |subterm2 = 2009–2015 |office3 = Faction represented in the [[Knesset]] |suboffice3 = [[Yisrael Beiteinu]] |subterm3 = 2006–2015 }}

'''Yitzhak Aharonovich''' ({{langx|he|יצחק אהרונוביץ'}}; born 22 August 1950) is an Israeli businessman and former politician. He served as a member of the [[Knesset]] for [[Yisrael Beiteinu]] between 2006 and 2015 and also held the posts of [[Tourism Ministry (Israel)|Minister of Tourism]] and [[Ministry of Public Security (Israel)|Minister of Public Security]]. He is currently Chairman of [[Mekorot]].

==Biography== Yitzhak Aharonovich was born in [[West Jerusalem]] to [[Holocaust survivors]] from [[Kaunas]]. He grew up in [[moshav]] [[Dishon]] and studied at a [[yeshiva]] in [[Safed]]. In 1968, he began his mandatory military service in the [[Israel Defense Forces]], and served as a deputy company commander and instructor at a training base. He later studied history at the [[University of Haifa]] and graduated with a BA. In 1972, he joined the [[Israel Border Police]], and during the 1973 [[Yom Kippur War]] he was stationed on the border with [[Lebanon]].

Aharonovich lives in [[Even Yehuda]] with his family.

==Military and police career== In the 1980s he headed the northern command of the Israel Border Police, and led rescue operations during the two [[Tyre catastrophe]]s.<ref name="haaretz-fire"/> He continued to rise through the ranks, and in 1993 he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the Border Police. He later served as a representative of the [[Israel Police]] in the Americas for two years. In 1998 was appointed head of police in the [[West Bank]], and became head of the [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern District]] police in 2001. From 2002 to 2004 he was deputy police commissioner. In 2004, he left the police, and served as director-general of the [[Dan Bus Company]] from 2004 to 2005.

==Political career== In [[2006 Israeli legislative election|2006]] he was elected to the Knesset on Yisrael Beiteinu's list. In March 2007, he was appointed Minister of Tourism, but his tenure ended in January 2008 when the party left [[Ehud Olmert]]'s coalition government. He retained his seat in the [[2009 Israeli legislative election|2009 elections]], for which he was placed fourth on the party's list. Upon the formation of the Netanyahu government on 31 March 2009, he was appointed Minister of Public Security.<ref name="haaretz-appointment"/>

On 16 June 2009, Aharonovich attracted controversy over a comment he made during a meeting with an undercover police detective in [[Tel Aviv]]'s [[Tel Aviv Central Bus Station|Central Bus Station]]. After the detective apologized for being untidy while meeting Aharonovich, Aharonovich replied that he looked as dirty as an "Araboosh" a Hebrew slur roughly translating as "dirty Arab". He was denounced by several members of the Knesset as a racist following that, and subsequently apologized.<ref name="haaretz-arab"/> He was praised for his actions during the [[2010 Mount Carmel forest fire]].<ref name="haaretz-fire"/> He was re-elected in the [[2013 Israeli legislative election|2013 elections]], and retained his post as Minister of Public Security.

In January 2015 he announced that he was retiring from politics, and would not contest the [[2015 Israeli legislative election|2015 elections]].<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Yitzhak-Aharonovich-quitting-politics-387221 Yitzhak Aharonovich quitting politics] The Jerusalem Post, 9 January 2015</ref> and in November 2016 he became chairman of IMI Systems Ltd.<ref>[http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-liberman-to-appoint-party-members-as-iai-imi-chairs-1001137310 Liberman to appoint party members as IAI, IMI chairs] Globes, 7 July 2016</ref>

==References== <references>

<ref name="haaretz-fire">{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/we-re-all-not-to-blame-1.329865|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211230407/http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/we-re-all-not-to-blame-1.329865|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 11, 2010|title=We're All (Not) to Blame|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|author=Verter, Yossi|date=10 December 2010|access-date=11 December 2010}}</ref> <ref name="haaretz-appointment">{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075341.html|title=Netanyahu Sworn in as Israel's Prime Minister|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|date=1 April 2009|access-date=11 December 2010|archive-date=2 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102083155/http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075341.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> <ref name="haaretz-arab">{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1093401.html|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|title=Public Security Minister Calls Cop 'Dirty Arab'|author=Goren, Yuval|date=16 June 2009|access-date=11 December 2010|archive-date=27 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327203900/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1093401.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

</references>

==External links== *{{MKlink|id=790}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aharonovich, Yitzhak}} [[Category:1950 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Israeli people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent]] [[Category:Israeli police officers]] [[Category:Jewish Israeli politicians]] [[Category:Members of the 17th Knesset (2006–2009)]] [[Category:Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013)]] [[Category:Members of the 19th Knesset (2013–2015)]] [[Category:Ministers of public security of Israel]] [[Category:Ministers of tourism of Israel]] [[Category:Moshavniks]] [[Category:Politicians from Jerusalem]] [[Category:University of Haifa alumni]] [[Category:Yisrael Beiteinu politicians]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Jerusalem]]