View source for Avi Dichter

{{Short description|Israeli politician (born 1952)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Dichter.jpg
| caption = Dichter in 2012
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1952|12|14}}
| birth_place = [[Ashkelon]], Israel
| suboffice3 = [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Israel)|Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development]]
| subterm3 = 2022–
| suboffice4 = [[Kadima]]
| subterm4 = 2006–2012
| office1 = Ministerial roles
| suboffice1 = [[Ministry of Public Security (Israel)|Minister of Internal Security]]
| subterm1 = 2006–2009
| suboffice2 = [[Home Front Defense Ministry|Minister of Home Front Defence]]
| subterm2 = 2012–2013
| suboffice5 = [[Likud]]
| subterm5 = 2015–
| office4 = Faction represented in the [[Knesset]]
}}

'''Abraham Moshe "Avi" Dichter''' ({{langx|he|אַבְרָהָם (אָבִי) מֹשֶׁה דִיכְטֶר}}, {{IPA|he|ˈavi ˈdiχteʁ|IPA}}; born 14 December 1952)<ref name=":0" /> is an Israeli politician currently serving as the [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Israel)|Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Knesset Member Avi Dicter |url=https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/mk/apps/mk/mk-personal-details/771 |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=The Knesset}}</ref> A former [[Internal Security Minister of Israel|Minister of Internal Security]] and [[Shin Bet]] director, he resigned from the [[Knesset]] and left [[Kadima]] in August 2012 in order to become [[Home Front Defense Ministry|Minister of Home Front Defense]], a position he vacated in March 2013.

==Biography==
Avraham (Avi) Dichter was born in [[Ashkelon]]. His parents were [[Holocaust survivors]] from [[Poland]]. As an adolescent, he joined the [[Hashomer Hatzair]] youth movement. After graduating high school, he served in an elite unit of the [[Israel Defense Forces]], [[Sayeret Matkal]], under then Commander [[Ehud Barak]]. Upon completing his military service, Dichter joined [[Shin Bet]], Israel's internal security service. In 1986, he earned a BA in [[Social science|Social Science]] from [[Bar-Ilan University]], in [[Ramat Gan]]. He also has an MBA from [[Tel Aviv University]].

In 1973, he married Ilana Wallerstein, a teacher and artist who he had met in high school. They have three children.

==Internal security career==
Dichter began his career in Shin Bet as a [[sky marshal]] for the Israeli airline [[El Al]]. After becoming proficient in [[Arabic]] and completing field intelligence courses, he began working in the Shin Bet's Southern District, specifically the [[Gaza Strip]]. In 1992, he was appointed director for the region. Aiming to improve the Shin Bet's protection capabilities, Dichter was appointed Director of the Security and Protection Division. In 1999, he became Deputy Director of [[Shin Bet]]. In 2000, he was promoted to director.

During his tenure, the [[Palestinians]] launched the [[Second Intifada]]. Under Dichter's leadership, Shin Bet changed its ''[[modus operandi]]'' and restructured its mission and duties to serve at the forefront of Israel's security and [[Counterterrorism|counter-terrorism]] efforts. The organisation spearheaded [[Counterinsurgency|counter-insurgency]] and intelligence operations deep inside the [[West Bank]] and the Gaza Strip, thereby reducing the number of attacks against Israel.

==Political career==
In September 2005, Dichter left office and became a research fellow at the [[Brookings Institution]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] Several months later, he returned to [[Israel]] and announced his foray into politics with the newly established [[Kadima]]. He was elected to the [[Knesset]] on the party's list in 2006, and on May 4 that year was sworn in as the [[Ministry of Public Security (Israel)|Minister of Internal Security]]. In this role, he oversaw Israel's [[Israel Police|law enforcement]] system including Israel's Police Force and Prison Service.

As Minister of Public Security, Dichter made several reforms in the fields under the auspices of the ministry. These included budgetary and organizational reform, the building of a [[Witness protection|Witness Protection Program]], and the formation of a national crime fighting unit ([[Lahav 433]]) similar to the United States' [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]. In 2007, Dichter canceled a trip to the [[United Kingdom]] over concerns that he would be arrested on [[war crime]]s charges for his role in the assassination of [[Salah Shehade]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Ravid |first=Barak |title=Haaretz.com, Dichter cancels U.K. trip over fears of 'war crimes' arrest |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/931835.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207105442/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/931835.html |archive-date=7 December 2007 |access-date=21 May 2010 |work=Haaretz |location=Israel}}</ref>

After [[Ehud Olmert]] resigned as party leader, Dichter entered the [[2008 Kadima leadership election|leadership election]]. However, he came fourth with only 6.5% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/18/content_10074807.htm |title=Livni's major rival Mofaz accepts Kadima primary's result_English_Xinhua |website=news.xinhuanet.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218071507/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/18/content_10074807.htm |archive-date=2009-02-18}}</ref> He retained his seat in the 2009 elections after being placed ninth on the party's list, but lost his cabinet portfolio as the [[Likud]]-led coalition formed the government.

In ''Matar v. Dichter'', the [[Center for Constitutional Rights]] filed a federal [[class action]] lawsuit against Dichter on behalf of the Palestinians killed or injured in a 2002 "[[targeted killing]]" air strike in Gaza; charging him with [[extrajudicial killing]], [[war crime]]s and other gross [[human rights]] violations. On 16 April 2009, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]] dismissed the case citing Dichter's [[Diplomatic immunity|immunity]] under the [[Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act]] (FSIA).<ref>{{cite web|title=Matar et al v Dichter|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/matar-v.-dichter|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520092206/http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/matar-v.-dichter|archive-date=20 May 2010|access-date=21 May 2010|website=Center for Constitutional Rights|publisher=Ccrjustice.org|language=en}}</ref>
 
In March 2009, Dichter banned a series of [[Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian Authority]]-sponsored events billed as the [[2009 Arab Capital of Culture]] planned for [[Jerusalem]], [[Nazareth]] and other parts of the country. Dichter said they violated the Israeli–Palestinian treaty barring PA events on the territory of Israel. Nazareth Mayor [[Ramiz Jaraisy]] criticized the move as [[Anti-Arabism|anti-Arab]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Israel bans Palestinian cultural events |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3689673,00.html |agency=[[Yedioth Ahronot]] |location=Israel |date=March 20, 2009 |access-date=March 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323034403/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3689673%2C00.html |archive-date=March 23, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> Eight events were cancelled and twenty organizers and participants were detained.<ref name="Policearrest">{{Cite news|last=Weiss|first=Efrat|date=21 March 2009|title=Police arrest 20 at Palestinian 'culture event'|language=en|work=Ynetnews|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3689768,00.html|access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>

On 3 August 2011, Dichter and 39 other [[Knesset]] members signed the proposed [[Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People|Basic Law proposal: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1846848|title = דיכטר מאתגר את נתניהו: יזם חוק "מדינת הלאום היהודי" - וואלה! חדשות|date = August 3, 2011}}</ref>

In August 2012, he announced that he was leaving the Knesset and joining the Israeli cabinet to replace Home Front Defense Minister [[Matan Vilnai]], who resigned to become Israel's ambassador to [[China]]. Dichter was replaced by Kadima's [[Ahmed Dabbah]].<ref name="Home front">{{cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=281145 | title=Kadima's Dichter to quit Knesset for cabinet post | newspaper=The Jerusalem Post | date=14 August 2012 | access-date=14 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="Trojan">{{cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=281182 | title=MK Hasson: Dichter was Kadima's Trojan horse | newspaper=The Jerusalem Post | author=Lahav Harkov | date=14 August 2012 | access-date=14 August 2012}}</ref>

In November 2012, during [[2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip|Operation Pillar of Defense]], Dichter said: "We have no other choice; Israel must perform a reformatting of Gaza, and rearrange it, as we did in [[Judea]] and [[Samaria]] during [[Operation Defensive Shield]]."<ref>{{cite news |last=Zitun|first=Yoav|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4304074,00.html|title=Minister Dichter: We need to reformat Gaza|work=[[Ynetnews]]|date=11 November 2014|access-date=9 November 2015}}</ref> Dichter's call has been echoed in the Israeli press, albeit being bashed by critics of Israel's policy.<ref>{{cite news |last=Abunimah|first=Ali|title=Amid calls for more war crimes, Israel minister hopes attacks will "reformat" Gaza|publisher=[[The Electronic Intifada]]|date=14 November 2012}}</ref>

Dichter featured in the 2012 documentary film ''[[The Gatekeepers (film)|The Gatekeepers]]'' and discussed the main events of his tenure in [[Shin Bet]].

In March 2013, [[Playboy]] magazine published its first version in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] featuring an interview with Avi Dichter.<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 March 2013|title=Reading right to left, adult-style|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/reading-right-to-left-adult-style/|url-status=live|access-date=10 November 2021|website=Times of Israel|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308064731/http://www.timesofisrael.com:80/reading-right-to-left-adult-style/ |archive-date=March 8, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Cohen|first=Abra|date=7 March 2013|title=How Playboy Came to Israel|url=https://forward.com/schmooze/172296/how-playboy-came-to-israel/|url-status=live|access-date=10 November 2021|website=The Forward|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325070934/http://forward.com:80/schmooze/172296/how-playboy-came-to-israel/ |archive-date=March 25, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Levinson|first=Barry|date=10 March 2013|title=Playboy Israel Launch|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLxx6k34kW8|url-status=live|access-date=10 November 2021|website=[[YouTube]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110225547/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLxx6k34kW8 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 }}</ref>

Upon the Likud's return to power in late 2022, Dichter was appointed Agriculture Minister. He called for the government's [[2023 Israeli judicial reform|proposed judicial reforms]] to be frozen due to [[2023 Israeli judicial reform protests|widespread protests]] but he said he would still vote for the proposals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369235|title=Avi Dichter to vote for judicial reform despite calling for freezing of bill|date=March 26, 2023|website=Israel National News|accessdate=April 9, 2023}}</ref>

During an interview with [[Channel 12 (Israel)|Channel 12]] in November 2023, Dichter endorsed the [[forced displacement]] of civilians from the northern Gaza Strip while discussing the ongoing [[Gaza war]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title=Israel right-wing ministers' comments add fuel to Palestinian fears |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-nakba-israels-far-right-palestinian-fears-hamas-war-rcna123909 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-12 |title=Israeli Minister Admits Military Is Carrying Out 'Nakba' Against Gaza's Palestinians |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israel-minister-admits-nakba-gaza-palestinians_n_65515794e4b0373d70b2aadc |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-12 |title=PM tells gov't to be sensitive after minister calls war '2023 Nakba' |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-772923 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en-US}}</ref> When asked if images of the displacement of civilians were comparable to images of the [[Nakba]], he said "We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba. From an operational point of view, there is no way to wage a war – as the IDF seeks to do in Gaza – with masses between the tanks and the soldiers." When asked again he reiterated, "Gaza Nakba 2023. That’s how it’ll end." He later said that he did not know whether the residents of Gaza City would be allowed to return.<ref>{{Cite news |title='We're Rolling Out Nakba 2023,' Israeli Minister Says on Northern Gaza Strip Evacuation |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-12/ty-article/israeli-security-cabinet-member-calls-north-gaza-evacuation-nakba-2023/0000018b-c2be-dea2-a9bf-d2be7b670000 |access-date=2023-11-15}}</ref> His comments were met with criticism internationally,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silva |first=Chantal Da |date=2023-11-14 |title=Israel right-wing ministers' comments add fuel to Palestinian fears |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-nakba-israels-far-right-palestinian-fears-hamas-war-rcna123909 |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=www.nbcnews.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tharoor |first=Ishaan |date=2023-11-13 |title=Analysis {{!}} Israel presides over a new Palestinian catastrophe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/13/palestine-gaza-west-bank-nakba-displacement-israel-catastrophe/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> along with criticism from Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] the following day and the attorney general to the Israeli government, [[Gali Baharav-Miara]] who stated that his comments could be interpreted as a war crime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title=N12 - פרסום ראשון {{!}} אזהרת היועמ״שית לשרים: ״שימו לב לאמירות״ |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-politics/2023_q4/Article-438a607a63acb81026.htm |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=N12}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
*{{Official website|http://avidichter.co.il/}} {{in lang|he}}
*{{MKlink|id=771}}
*[http://www.mops.gov.il/BPEng/About+MOPS/TheMinister/ Avi Dichter] Ministry of Public Security {{in lang|he}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090328210434/http://imeu.net/news/article0014271.shtml Avi Dichter] IMEU

{{Current MKs}}
{{Israeli Internal Security Ministers}}
{{Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee}}
{{Heads of Shin Bet}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dichter, Avi}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:People from Ashkelon]]
[[Category:Bar-Ilan University alumni]]
[[Category:Tel Aviv University alumni]]
[[Category:Directors of the Shin Bet]]
[[Category:Kadima politicians]]
[[Category:Likud politicians]]
[[Category:Jewish Israeli politicians]]
[[Category:Ministers of public security of Israel]]
[[Category:Members of the 17th Knesset (2006–2009)]]
[[Category:Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013)]]
[[Category:Members of the 20th Knesset (2015–2019)]]
[[Category:Members of the 21st Knesset (2019)]]
[[Category:Members of the 22nd Knesset (2019–2020)]]
[[Category:Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021)]]
[[Category:Members of the 24th Knesset (2021–2022)]]
[[Category:Members of the 25th Knesset (2022–)]]
[[Category:Deputy ministers of Israel]]
[[Category:People of the Second Intifada]]