Yuval Steinitz

MKs


Date of birth = 10 April 1958
Year of Aliyah =
Date of death =
Knesset(s) = 15th, 16th, 17th (current)
Party = Likud
Former parties =
Gov't roles =
Dr. Yuval Steinitz ( _he. יובל שטייניץ, born 10 April 1958), is an Israeli philosopher, academic and parliamentarian who has been a Knesset member for the Likud party since 1999 [http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=695 Knesset Website- Yuval Steinitz] ] . Most known for his expertise and uncompromising stance on security matters, many have predicted him taking the Defense Minister portfolio [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193424484&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull The next defense minister, Amotz Asa-El, Jerusalem Post] ] in the likelihood of a Likud victory in the next Israeli elections.

Military Service

Dr. Steinitz fulfilled his mandatory military service as an infantry soldier in the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces and later as a reservist in the Alexendroni brigade.

Academia and Publications

Steinitz higher education began at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he obtained a Bachelors in Philosophy and subsequent Masters with honors, in the same field.

His doctoral thesis, entitled "From A Rational Point of View" was completed at the "Cohen Institute for the Philosophy of Science and Ideas" at the Tel Aviv University and was met with the highly coveted award known as "The Alon Scholarship" , an exclusive privilege befitted to a handful of Israel's most outstanding PhD graduates. The scholarship led him to Haifa University where he continued his research and quickly became a senior lecturer, a position he held until 1999 when he entered the Knesset.Leading academic journals and periodicals both in Israel and abroad have published his works. Including amongst others: "The Philosophical Quarterly", "American Philosophical Quarterly","International Philosophical Quarterly", "Religious Studies" and "Philosophical Papers."He is the author of a number of highly acclaimed philosophy books including "Invitation to Philosophy: Imagined Dialogues With Great Philosophers" [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=y6iDaaKed-UC&pg=PP1&dq=steinitz+an+invitation&ei=zaiJSNLRO4mkiwH6r-nmAQ&sig=ACfU3U3gv9P2V6tSsiakpCc6PIYFdGHDNg Preview of Invitation to Philosophy by Yuval Steinitz] ] , which to date is in its 40th edition and considered Israel's most popular publication on Philosophy. A number of his works including "Invitation to Philosophy" and "In Defense of Metaphysics" are available in English.

During his time lecturing at Haifa University, Dr. Steinitz gained a special interest in the study of military strategy and tactics. He began to publish various articles on these topics in leading periodicals including the Israel Defense Force journal- Marachot. In light of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Steinitz also began to question his own political beliefs.

Political career

Dr. Steinitz was not always the hawk that many perceive him to be today. His political activity began in the 1980s as an active member of the dovish Peace Now movement. He was injured during a Peace rally in which a right wing extremist hurled a hand-grenade into the crowd, killing peace activist Amil Greensvag.

The signing of the Oslo Accords between the Israelis and Palestinians in 1993 became a pivotal turning point in the evolution of Steinitz's personal ideology. As a critic of both the agreements and the way in which they were negotiated. He could no longer remain on the left of Israeli politics, leading him to fully endorse the Likud party under the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu in the 1996 elections for the Israeli Knesset.

Three years later he personally entered the world of politics, in the 1999 elections, when he ran as number twenty on the Likud party list. The elections results were disappointing for the Likud party, receiving a mere 19 seats of the 120 legislature. However, when Netanyahu decided to take responsibility for the party's poor results and resign from his seat, Steinitz replaced him as next in line. Dr.Steinitz served as the chairman of the "Subcommittee for Defense,Planning and Policy", and as a member of both the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,and "The Constitution Law and Courts Committee".

Steinitz rapidly became a prominent member of the party and re-entered the Knesset in the 2003 elections when the Likud regained power. He was elected to chair the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, turning it into one of the most serious and influential bodies in the Knesset [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359870779&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull The difference is not in the warhead, Sheera Claire Frenkel, Jerusalem Post] ] . During this term, he also chaired"The Subcommittee for Intelligence and Secret Services", "The Committee for the examination of the Intelligence Services Following the War in Iraq" and Co-Chaired"The Joint Security Committee Between the Knesset and the US Congress", alongside Senator Jon Kyl.

Steinitz vehemently apposed Israel's unilateral disengagement planin 2005, critiquing both its perceived objectives and logistic implementation, he was particularly concerned about the IDF's intention to transfer the Philadelphi Route, (a strategic buffer zone between Egypt and the Gaza Strip), to the Egyptians. He claimed that Egypt would overlook the transfer of weapons and ammunition into the strip, by various Palestinian terrorist groups, and that the "demilitarized territory" of the Sinai Peninsula would become re-militarized by Egypt in the future. [ [http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3134261,00.html Government confirms: Changes to the peace agreement with Egypt] Yedioth Ahronoth, 28 August 2005 (in Hebrew)] Following the implementation of the plan, Steinitz claimed that his statements had prevented the Egyptians taking greater control of the area, adding that even if the government felt the need to disengage, to facilitate future agreements with the Palestinians, it was irresponsible to do so without first eliminating all terrorist threats within Gaza.

After re-election in 2006 to the 17th Knesset, he continued to Co-Chair "The Joint Security Committee Between the Knesset and the US Congress". Chaired "The Subcommittee for the State of Alert and Field Security" and "The Sub-Committee on Intelligence & Secret Services". While also being a member of The Foreign Affairs & Defense Committeeand "The Law and Courts Committee."

Dr. Steinitz advocates a serious reformation of the Israeli military strategy and defense doctrine. In January 2007 he told Defense News that "It is imperative to adopt a new Israeli defense doctrine, based on expanded use of sea power and a powerful land-based missile force." In the same interview he severely criticized both the IDF's assessment of the Hezbollah threat and their handling of the Second Lebanon War.

More recently he has campaigned for heightened awareness of the Iranian nuclear threat, lobbying both at home and abroad, to ensure that Iran does not become a nuclear power. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1192380792234 Steinitz: Egypt letting Hamas build an army, Sheera Claire Frenkel, Jerusalem Post] ]

In 2008 Israel refused permission for Palestinian Fulbright students to leave Gaza and study in the United States. Steinitz strongly supported this action, telling the New York Times “We are fighting the regime in Gaza that does its utmost to kill our citizens and destroy our schools and our colleges. So I don’t think we should allow students from Gaza to go anywhere. Gaza is under siege, and rightly so, and it is up to the Gazans to change the regime or its behavior.” [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/world/middleeast/30gaza.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5087&em&en=2c197bd9044256e9&ex=1212292800 U.S. Withdraws Fulbright Grants to Gaza] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=695 Yuval Steinitz on the Knesset website (in English)]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=y6iDaaKed-UC&pg=PP1&dq=steinitz+an+invitation&ei=zaiJSNLRO4mkiwH6r-nmAQ&sig=ACfU3U3gv9P2V6tSsiakpCc6PIYFdGHDNg Google Books Preview of "Invitation to Philosophy"]
* [http://www.imda.org.il/imdaRoot/english/About/board.asp?boardId=18 The Israeli Missile Defense Association Website: Steinitz Bio]
* [http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=610&FID=283&PID=0&IID=1606 The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: Yuval Steinitz articles]
* [http://www.acpr.org.il/people/ysteinitz.html The Ariel Center for Policy Research: English articles by Yuval Steinitz]
* [http://www.bicom.org.uk/news/comment-and-opinion/yuval-steinitz-23-04-2008 British Israel Communications and Research Centre: Steinitz on the Iranian Threat]