View source for Meir Sheetrit

{{Short description|Israeli politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Meir Sheetrit
| native_name = {{Nobold|{{Script/Hebrew|מאיר שטרית}}}}
| image = Meir Sheetrit 2009.jpg
| caption = Sheetrit in 2009
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|10|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Er Rachidia|Ksar es Souk]], Morocco
| death_date =
| office1 = Ministerial roles
| suboffice1 = [[Finance Minister of Israel|Minister of Finance]]
| subterm1 = 1998–1999
| suboffice2 = [[Justice Minister of Israel|Minister of Justice]]
| subterm2 = 2001–2003
| suboffice3 = [[Transportation Minister of Israel|Minister of Transportation]]
| subterm3 = 2004–2006
| suboffice4 = [[Justice Minister of Israel|Minister of Justice]]
| subterm4 = 2006
| suboffice5 = {{nowrap|[[Education Minister of Israel|Minister of Education, Culture & Sport]]}}
| subterm5 = 2006
| suboffice6 = [[Housing and Construction Minister of Israel|Minister of Housing & Construction]]
| subterm6 = 2006–2007
| suboffice7 = [[Interior Minister of Israel|Minister of the Interior]]
| subterm7 = 2007–2009
| office8 = Faction represented in the [[Knesset]]
| suboffice8 = [[Likud]]
| subterm8 = 1981–1988
| suboffice9 = [[Likud]]
| subterm9 = 1992–2005
| suboffice10 = [[Kadima]]
| subterm10 = 2005–2012
| subterm11 = 2012–2015
| suboffice11 = [[Hatnua]]
}}

'''Meir Sheetrit''' ({{langx|he|מאיר שטרית}}; born 10 October 1948) is an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset in two spells for Likud between 1981 and 1988, and again from 1992 until 2005, when he joined [[Kadima]]. He remained a Knesset member for Kadima until joining [[Hatnuah]] in 2012, for whom he served until 2015. He also held several ministerial posts, including being [[Interior Minister of Israel|Minister of the Interior]], [[Housing and Construction Minister of Israel|Minister of Housing & Construction]], [[Finance Minister of Israel|Minister of Finance]], [[Justice Minister of Israel|Minister of Justice]], [[Transportation Minister of Israel|Minister of Transportation]] and [[Education Minister of Israel|Minister of Education, Culture & Sport]]. He was also a candidate for [[President of Israel]] in [[2014 Israeli presidential election|2014]].

==Early life==
Sheetrit was born in Ksar es Souk (now [[Errachidia]]), [[French Protectorate of Morocco|Morocco]]. His family [[aliyah|immigrated]] to Israel in 1957. He earned a BA and an MA in [[Public Policy]] from [[Bar-Ilan University]].

==Political career==
=== Likud ===
Sheetrit began his political career in 1974 as mayor of the city of [[Yavne]], a position he held until 1987.

He was first elected to the Knesset in 1981 on the [[Likud]] list. He was re-elected in 1984, but lost his seat in 1988. That year he was elected treasurer of the [[Jewish Agency for Israel|Jewish Agency]] and served in this position until 1992, when he returned to the Knesset. In 1998 he was appointed [[Finance Minister of Israel|Minister of Finance]], serving until the fall of [[Benjamin Netanyahu]]'s first government in 1999. 

Sheetrit unsuccessfully ran in the [[September 1999 Likud leadership election]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lavie |first1=Mark |title=Ariel Sharon wins control of Likud party in Israel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/179167902 |via=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |agency=The Associated Press |access-date=5 November 2022 |language=en |url-access=subscription |date=September 3, 1999}}</ref>

He returned to the [[Cabinet of Israel|cabinet]] in 2001 as [[Justice Minister of Israel|Minister of Justice]]. After being re-elected in 2003, he was appointed Minister in the Ministry of Finance, where he worked closely with then Minister of Finance Netanyahu who was spearheading a sweeping [[privatization]] reform. He was appointed [[Transportation Minister of Israel|Minister of Transportation]] in 2004, and later served as Minister of Education, Culture and Sport until 2006.

=== Kadima ===
[[File:Flickr - Wikimedia Israel - Wikimania 2011 - opening ceremony (38).jpg|thumb|250px|Sheetrit speaking at [[Wikimania]] conference in Haifa, 2011]]
In 2005, Sheetrit left Likud and joined [[Ariel Sharon]]'s new [[Kadima]] party. He was [[2006 Israeli legislative election|re-elected in 2006]] and appointed [[Housing and Construction Minister of Israel|Minister of Housing and Construction]], a post he held until July 2007, when he was appointed [[Internal Affairs Minister of Israel|Minister of Internal Affairs]]. Between 23 August and 29 November 2006, he also served as [[Acting (law)|Acting]] Justice Minister following [[Haim Ramon]]'s resignation on 18 August over an indecent assault indictment. Sheetrit was replaced in the Justice portfolio by [[Tzipi Livni]], who also continued to serve as Foreign Minister.

In February 2008, whilst Israeli airstrikes in [[Gaza strip|Gaza]] were ongoing, Sheetrit told [[Army Radio]] that: "If it were up to me, I would hit everything that moves with weapons and ammunition", adding: "I don't think we have to show pity for anyone who wants to kill us."<ref name="haaretz">{{cite news |last=Ravid|first=Barak|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/olmert-no-one-in-hamas-will-be-immune-against-war-we-wage-1.240223|title=Israeli airstrikes kill 10 in Gaza|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=27 February 2008|access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="latimes">{{cite news |last=Boudreaux|first=Richard|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/28/world/fg-gaza28/2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919025334/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/28/world/fg-gaza28/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 September 2015|title=Israeli airstrikes answered with rockets|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=28 February 2008|page=2|access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="nbcnews">{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23367091|title=Israeli airstrikes kill 10 in Gaza|publisher=[[NBCNews.com]]|date=27 February 2008|access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="jordantimes">{{cite news|last=Abunimah |first=Ali |url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/writers/israeli-minister-threatens-holocaust%E2%80%99-public-demands-ceasefire-talks |title=Israeli minister threatens 'holocaust' as public demands ceasefire talks |work=[[The Jordan Times]] |date=3 March 2008 |access-date=1 November 2015 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="aljazeera">{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2008/02/200852514235893619.html|title=Israel bombs Gaza interior ministry|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=28 February 2008|access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref>

Following Ehud Olmert's resignation as party leader, Sheetrit ran for the party chairmanship. However, he came third out of the four candidates in the [[2008 Kadima leadership election|election]], receiving only 8.5% of the vote.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090218071507/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/18/content_10074807.htm Livni's major rival Mofaz accepts Kadima primary's result] Xinhua, 18 September 2008</ref> Placed seventh on the party's list, he retained his seat in the [[2009 Israeli legislative election|2009 elections]]

In early 2011, he and another MK sprayed [[air freshener]] in the Knesset, complaining about the "stench of [[Independence (Israeli political party)|bad politics]]". Both MKs were escorted out and [[Speaker of the Knesset|speaker]] [[Reuven Rivlin]] condemned the actions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/141840 |title=Kadima Perfumes Knesset to Ward off 'Stinking Politics' |author=Miskin, Maayana |date=19 January 2011 |work=Israel National News |publisher=Arutz Sheva |access-date=20 January 2011}}</ref>

As head of the Knesset Science and Technology Committee, he spoke at the international [[Wikimania]] conference held in Haifa in 2011.<ref name="themarker">{{cite news|url=http://it.themarker.com/tmit/article/16395|title=Wikimania Conference at Its Peak; Founder Jimmy Wales to Speak Tomorrow|work=[[TheMarker]]|date=5 August 2011|author=Levin, Verony|access-date=12 August 2011|language=he|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006082831/http://it.themarker.com/tmit/article/16395|archive-date=6 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Hatnuah ===
On 1 December 2012, Sheetrit joined [[Tzipi Livni]]'s new party, [[Hatnuah]].<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4314440,00.html Livni secures 7 MKs to split Kadima], Ynetnews, 2 December 2012</ref> He disagreed with Livni's decision to run as part of the joint [[Zionist Union]] list with the [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]] in the [[2015 Israeli legislative election|2015 elections]], and he opted not to contest the elections.<ref>{{cite news|title=Veteran MK Meir Sheetrit: I will not be in the next Knesset|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-Elections/Veteran-MK-Meir-Sheetrit-I-will-not-be-in-the-next-Knesset-385780|access-date=18 March 2015|date=25 December 2014}}</ref>

Sheetrit contested in the [[2014 Israeli presidential election]], coming second with 31 votes in the first round, and losing in the second round with 53 votes. [[Reuven Rivlin]] won with 63 votes.

=== Post-Knesset Career ===
Sheetrit ran for Mayor of Yavne in [[2018 Israeli municipal elections|2018]] under a local [[electoral list]], but was defeated by Zvi Gov-Ari, winning 20.4% of the vote to Gov-Ari's 58.4%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=בחירות 2018 לראשות העיר ולמועצה |trans-title=2018 elections for Mayor and City Council |url=http://yavne.muni.il/html5/sbs.taf?&did=1231&_id=13814&g=10323&SM=13814 |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=yavne.muni.il |language=HE}}</ref> In November 2021, Sheetrit was appointed to a committee formed to choose a new [[Attorney General of Israel|Attorney General]],<ref>{{Cite news |title=הממשלה אישרה את מינוי מאיר שטרית לוועדת איתור היועמ"ש; חמישה שרים התנגדו |language=he |trans-title=The Government approved Meir Sheetrit's nomination to the Attorney General appointment committee; Five Ministers were Opposed |work=[[Ha'aretz]] |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2021-11-07/ty-article/0000017f-f36e-df98-a5ff-f3efb99b0000 |access-date=2022-06-08}}</ref> but decided to forego membership of the committee following public backlash.<ref>{{Cite news |last=צימוקי |first=טובה |date=2021-11-15 |title=עיכוב בבחירת היועמ"ש הבא: מאיר שטרית מוותר על מקומו כחבר בוועדת האיתור |language=he |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/h1cis00yuf |access-date=2022-06-08}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Meir Sheetrit|Meir Sheetrit}}
*{{MKlink|id=119}}

{{Israeli Housing and Construction Ministers}}
{{IsraelEduMin}}
{{IsraelFinanceMin}}
{{Israeli Ministers of Interior}}
{{Israeli Ministers of Justice}}
{{Israeli Ministers of Transportation}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheetrit, Meir}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Errachidia]]
[[Category:20th-century Moroccan Jews]]
[[Category:Moroccan emigrants to Israel]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Likud politicians]]
[[Category:Kadima politicians]]
[[Category:Hatnua politicians]]
[[Category:Ministers of education of Israel]]
[[Category:Ministers of finance of Israel]]
[[Category:Ministers of housing of Israel]]
[[Category:Ministers of internal affairs of Israel]]
[[Category:Ministers of justice of Israel]]
[[Category:Ministers of transport of Israel]]
[[Category:Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984)]]
[[Category:Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988)]]
[[Category:Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996)]]
[[Category:Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999)]]
[[Category:Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003)]]
[[Category:Members of the 16th Knesset (2003–2006)]]
[[Category:Members of the 17th Knesset (2006–2009)]]
[[Category:Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013)]]
[[Category:Members of the 19th Knesset (2013–2015)]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Israel]]
[[Category:People from Yavne]]
[[Category:Bar-Ilan University alumni]]
[[Category:Candidates for President of Israel]]