Uri Ariel
Uri Ariel was born on the third of
Tevet, 5713 (1953) in Afula to Yitzchak,
one of the founders of Kibbutz Tirat
Tzvi, and Naomi, a holocaust survivor
who joined the kibbutz. He was raised in
Tirat Tzvi, studied at the local school
in Sde Eliyahu, and enlisted to an elite
tank unit, Palsar 7, in 5731 (1971). Two
years later, he fought on the Egyptian
front in North Sinai during the Yom
Kippur War. After his last position as
Chermesh Company Commander, he was
released from the army in 1975 at the
rank of major. Immediately after the
army, Uri joined a small group of people
(“Gar’in”) planning to settle an area
called Mishor Adumim, and spent a year
and a half by himself as the new
settlement’s lone resident. In 5737
(1977) he married Chagit and they moved
to Kibbutz Ma’agan Micha’el.
Afterwards, they returned together to
the new settlement Kfar Adumim and Uri
began working for Amana, the settlement
organization of “Gush Emunim” (a
religious Zionist social movement for
settling Israel). He began as a
counselor and worked his way up to
regional coordinator and eventually to
secretary-general. From 5749 to 5759
(1989-1999) Uri served as the CEO of
Yesha Council (the municipal body in
charge of Judea and Samaria). During his
term, Judea and Samaria experienced a
construction boom on the one hand, and
difficult government sanctions on the
other. During the period of the Oslo
Accords, Uri Ariel managed to expand the
settlements despite the lack of
government support.
Ariel served for about a year as the
head of the settlement department in the
Ministry of Defense as well as serving
in the directorate of the Jewish
National Fund. When Beit El became a
local municipality, Uri became the first
mayor of Beit El. He served in this
position for three years until the
assassination of Rechavam Ze’evi
(Gandhi) by terrorists in Tishrei 5762
(October 2001) when he was called to
fill his position.
MK Ariel is known as one of the
hardest-working members of the Israeli
parliament. He was one of only eight
Knesset members who were present for
100% of the votes and meetings in the
16th Knesset. For the elections to the
17th Knesset, Ariel gave up his #5 spot
on the party list to MK Aryeh Eldad.
When the Ichud Le’umi (National Union)
joined forces with the Mafdal (NRP)
Ariel received the #9 spot on the joint
party list.
Uri Ariel has been serving in the
Knesset ever since and has served in a
number of different positions including
the Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, the Committee for Internal
Affairs, the State Control Committee,
the Education Committee, and the head of
the Defense Budget Committee. He is
active on behalf of Jonathan Pollard,
the agriculture lobby, the monthly
marches around the gates of the Old City
of Jerusalem, the settlements of Judea
and Samaria, the various forms of
religious education, and even succeeded
in gathering majority support for the
JNF law, a law Ariel initiated to keep
JNF lands in Jewish hands.
Ariel was one of the opposition leaders
against the Disengagement plan and even
went to live in Kfar Darom as a sign of
protest. Today, he assists the initiated
ascents to Chomesh. He founded the
Chazit Ketuma (Orange Front), a forum of
Knesset members and public figures that
deal with providing assistance and
caring for the former residents of Gush
Katif (and the Northern Shomron) who
were kicked out of their homes during
the disengagement. He also serves as the
head of their lobby in the Knesset.
Ariel proposed a great deal of
legislature in order to help the former
residents of Gush Katif and has served
as a mediator between them and all the
relevant government agencies that they
need to deal with.
Ariel serves as the head of the Jonathan
Pollard lobby, has visited him in
prison, and has been active in the
movement for his release for many years.
In December 2010, after a special
assembly of the lobby’s members, Prime
Minister Netanyahu decided to submit an
official request to the American
government requesting Pollard’s release;
this was the first time an official
request has been made by the Israeli
government since Pollard’s arrest in
1987.
Ariel supports the continued Aliyah of
the Falash-Mura from Ethiopia and even
calls for accelerating their Aliyah. He
is active in assisting the Ethiopian
community in Israel. Among other
actions, he passed a law forbidding
employers from firing a woman who had to
enter a shelter for battered woman.
On June 8, 2009 Uri Ariel was appointed
as the opposition representative to the
Judicial Appointments Committee by a
margin of one vote.
In 2012, he was appointed to the head of
the State Control Committee.
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*translated by Zechariah Reich |
