Avraham Hirschson

MKs


Date of birth = Birth date and age|1941|2|11|df=y
Year of Aliyah =
Date of death =
Knesset(s) = 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th,
17th (current)
Party = Kadima
Former parties = Likud
Gov't roles = Minister of Finance
Minister of Tourism
Minister of Communications

Avraham Hirchson ( _he. אברהם הירשזון, born February 11, 1941) served as the Finance Minister of Israel from May 4, 2006 to July 1, 2007. He is a member of the Kadima party. He suspended himself from May to July while the Israel Police investigated him for embezzlement. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152850991&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Finance minister suspends himself] Jerusalem Post, Accessed 27 April 2007] [http://www.philstar.com/index.php?News%20Flash&p=54&type=2&sec=91&aid=2007070126 Israeli finance minister resigns] The Philippine Star]

Background

Hirchson was born in Tel Mond and currently resides in Tel Aviv. From 1970 to 1992, he was secretary-general for the National Youth League (the youth branch of the National Histadrut). He has been the chairman of the National Histadrut since 1995 and chairman of the National Health Fund since 1996 (the revisionist counterparts to the larger General Histadrut and General Health Fund respectively). He helped found the March of the Living programme in 1988, but has not been involved in the organization for a number of years. During his involvement with the March of the Living the organization was accused of handling donations in a non-transparent manner. [ [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3265850,00.html Shoah march offices used for political activity?] Ynetnews, 21 June 2006]

Political career

As a member of the Likud Party, Hirchson joined the Knesset as a mid-term replacement in June 1983 and served until the end of the 10th Knesset in July 1984. He rejoined the Knesset in 1992, having been elected to the 13th Knesset, and has served since then. On January 10, 2005, he replaced Gideon Ezra as Minister of Tourism. In late November 2005, he resigned from the Likud and joined Kadima. On January 18, 2006, he was appointed Minister of Communications while retaining the Tourism ministry. That appointment filled one of the vacancies left by the resignation of all Labour Party ministers in November 2005, the act that resulted in the calling of elections for March 2006.

Following the 2006 elections, Hirchson became Minister of Finance as part of the Kadima-led 31st Government, which took office on May 4, 2006.

Hirchson, who has been a strong advocate for the privatization of Israeli state-owned services, stunned his audience at the 2006 Caesarea Forum with allegations that anonymous individuals opposed to his reforms have attempted to bring harm to his person. He was quoted by Haaretz in its June 23, 2006 edition saying, "There are people who are trying to harm me and my family, by means of pressure and threats ... Detectives are following me, with the aim of harming me. This will not work with me; even if the threats intensify, I will continue to promote the reforms that are so important for the people of Israel."

On March 20, 2007, Hirchson was investigated for seven hours by Israeli police regarding an alleged embezzlement at a non-profit organization while serving as the chairman of the National Workers Labor Federation. [ [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3378875,00.html Hirchson under investigation over embezzlement] Ynetnews, 20 March 2007] He suspended himself from May to July while Israeli police investigated him for embezzlement, [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152850991&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Finance minister suspends himself] Jerusalem Post, 23 April 2007] before resigning on 1 July. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/876912.html Finance Minister resigns in wake of police graft probe] Haaretz, 1 July 2007]

In May 2008, Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz announced that Hirchson would be indicted with a string of crimes including breach of trust, aggravated fraud, theft, forgery of corporate documents and money laundering. Hirschson allegedly embezzled millions of shekels from the National Workers Labor Federation while he was its chairman. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/980537.html Hirchson to be charged with embezzling millions of shekels] , Haaretz, 4 May 2008.]

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