Ramon, Haim

(1950- )

   Born in Tel Aviv to Sephardic immigrants (see ALIYA; ORIENTAL JEWS) from Morocco, he was educated at Tel Aviv University as a lawyer. He was first elected to the Knesset on the Labor Party list in 1983. He served as minister of health from 1992 to February 1994 but resigned from the government and quit the Israel Labor Party to protest the proposed reform of Israel's health care system. As the head of an independent political machine, Ramon won the chairmanship of the powerful Histadrut labor federation in May 1994, defeating the incumbent Labor Party candidate (Haim Haberfeld) and disrupting Labor's 75-year monopoly over the federation. He served as Histadrut chairman from May 1994 to November 1995. In November 1995, he agreed to rejoin Labor and served as minister of the interior until 1996.

   On 17 May 1999, Ramon was reelected to the Knesset on the One Israel list. On 6 July 1999, he was appointed minister without portfolio in the prime minister's office with responsibility for Jerusalem affairs, government reform, and liaison between the government and the Knesset. In August 2000, he was also assigned the Interior Ministry portfolio. He held both positions until March 2001. Ramon was appointed minister without portfolio on 10 January 2005. He was one of the early proponents of Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip and much of the West Bank.

   In December 2005, Ramon was one of the most prominent Labor members of the Knesset to switch allegiances to the new Kadima Party established by Ariel Sharon upon his departure from Likud. Ramon was reelected to the 17th Knesset on the Kadima list. He became minister of justice in the Ehud Olmert-led government established in May 2006 but resigned in August 2006 amid a personal scandal. On 31 January 2007, he was found guilty of indecent behavior by a Tel Aviv magistrate's court and sentenced to perform community service.

   On 4 July 2007, Ramon was appointed vice premier and a minister in the prime minister's office, with responsibility for state policy.