Ra'anan Cohen
Encyclopedia
Dr Ra'anan Cohen is a former Israel
i politician who served as a government minister during the early 2000s.
in Iraq
, Cohen made aliyah
in 1951. During his youth he was a counsellor in the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed
youth movement, and was secretary of the Labor Party youth guard in Bnei Brak until 1970. He took Middle Eastern studies at Tel Aviv University
, gaining a BA, MA and PhD in the subject. He served as chairman of Labor Party's Arab and Druze branch between 1975 and 1986. Between 1986 and 1992 he chaired the party's elections branch.
In 1988 he was elected to the Knesset
on the Alignment's
list. He was re-elected in 1992 (by which time the Alignment had merged into the Labor Party), and 1996. In December 1997 he was elected secretary-general of the party, winning 76% of the vote. He retained his seat in the 1999 elections (on the One Israel
list), and in August 2000 was appointed Minister of Labor and Social Welfare in Ehud Barak
's government
following Shas
' departure from the coalition government.
When Ariel Sharon
formed a national unity government
following the special election for Prime Minister in 2001, Cohen became a Minister without Portfolio
. He left the cabinet on 18 August 2002 and resigned from the Knesset three days later, retiring from politics.
Cohen has written several books, including Strangers in their Homeland: A Critical Study of Israel's Arab Citizens.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i politician who served as a government minister during the early 2000s.
Biography
Born in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Cohen made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
in 1951. During his youth he was a counsellor in the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed
Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed
Histadrut HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed , sometimes abbreiviated to No'al is an Israeli youth movement, a sister movement of Habonim Dror, the Labor Zionist movement....
youth movement, and was secretary of the Labor Party youth guard in Bnei Brak until 1970. He took Middle Eastern studies at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
, gaining a BA, MA and PhD in the subject. He served as chairman of Labor Party's Arab and Druze branch between 1975 and 1986. Between 1986 and 1992 he chaired the party's elections branch.
In 1988 he was elected to the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
on the Alignment's
Alignment (political party)
The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party...
list. He was re-elected in 1992 (by which time the Alignment had merged into the Labor Party), and 1996. In December 1997 he was elected secretary-general of the party, winning 76% of the vote. He retained his seat in the 1999 elections (on the One Israel
One Israel
One Israel was an alliance of the Labor Party, Meimad and Gesher created to run for the 1999 Knesset elections.-Background:One Israel was formed by Labor leader Ehud Barak in the run-up to the 1999 elections with the aim of making Labor appear more centrist and to reduce its secularist and elitist...
list), and in August 2000 was appointed Minister of Labor and Social Welfare in Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
's government
Twenty-eighth government of Israel
The twenty-eighth government of Israel was formed by Ehud Barak of One Israel on 6 July 1999 after his victory in the May election for Prime Minister. Alongside One Israel , Barak included Shas, Meretz, Yisrael BaAliyah, the Centre Party, the National Religious Party and United Torah Judaism in his...
following Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
' departure from the coalition government.
When Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
formed a national unity government
Twenty-ninth government of Israel
The twenty-ninth government of Israel was formed by Ariel Sharon on 7 March 2001, following his victory over Ehud Barak in the special election for Prime Minister in February...
following the special election for Prime Minister in 2001, Cohen became a Minister without Portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
. He left the cabinet on 18 August 2002 and resigned from the Knesset three days later, retiring from politics.
Cohen has written several books, including Strangers in their Homeland: A Critical Study of Israel's Arab Citizens.