Yahalom, Shaul

(1947- )

   Born in Tel Aviv, he served in the Israel Defense Forces and studied education and economics at Bar Ilan University. He became chairman of the board of directors of the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Hatzofeh, the voice of the Mizrachi Movement and the National Religious Party (NRP). Political secretary of the NRP from 1987 to 1995, he was first elected to the Knesset in 1992 on the NRP list. In February 1998, he was appointed minister of transportation, replacing fellow NRP member of the Knesset Yitzhak Levy, who became minister of education and culture following the death of Zevulun Hammer. Reelected to the 15th Knesset (1999), he served as deputy minister of education, culture, and sports from August 1999 to July 2000. He was reelected to the 16th Knesset in 2003 on the NRP slate of candidates. Yahalom took on the important function of NRP Knesset faction chairman following the disruption caused by the secession of Efraim (Effie) Eitam and Levy in 2005 in a dispute over the party's policy response to the evacuation of settlements as part of Ariel Sharon's Gaza unilateral disengagement plan. He failed to receive a secure spot on the National Union-NRP joint list for the 2006 election and was not reelected to the 17th Knesset.

   See also Political parties.