Uri Ariel
| Uri Ariel | |
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| Date of birth | 22 December 1952 |
| Place of birth | Afula, Israel |
| Knessets | 15, 16, 17, 18 |
| Party | National Union |
Uri Yehuda Ariel (Hebrew: אורי אריאל, born 22 December 1952) is an Israeli politician who current serves as a member of the Knesset for the National Union.
[edit] Biography
Born in Afula, Ariel served in a combat unit called Palsar 7 in the Israel Defense Forces and retired as a major. He became involved in Israeli settlements, and served as secretary general of both the Amana settlement movement and the Yesha Council, as well as head of Beit El local council. He was also a member of the Jewish National Fund directorate.
For the 1999 Knesset elections he was placed seventh on the National Union list.[1] Although he missed out when the party won only four seats, Ariel entered the Knesset on 17 October 2001 as a replacement for the assassinated Rehavam Ze'evi.
He was placed sixth on the alliance's list for the 2003 elections,[2] and retained his seat when the party won seven mandates. Prior to the scheduled Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank in August 2005, Ariel moved to Kfar Darom in solidarity and firmly opposed the plan. Similarly, he also moved to Amona prior to the dismantling of the outpost.
Originally placed 5th on the National Union Knesset list for the 2006 elections, Ariel conceded his spot to Aryeh Eldad and was listed 6th. After the alliance agreed to run a joint list with the National Religious Party, Ariel was placed ninth,[3] and retained his seat as the party won nine mandates.
During the Sukkot festival in 2006 Ariel ascended to the Temple Mount, saying he was preparing a plan to build a synagogue on the mount.[4] The proposed synagogue would not be built instead of the mosques but in a separate area in accordance with rulings of the prominent Rabbis. Ariel said he believed that this would be correcting a historical injustice and that it is an opportunity for the Muslim world to prove that it is tolerant to other faiths.
In March 2008 Ariel opposed the Knesset House Committee's decision to let Angela Merkel deliver her speech to the Knesset in German. In this context he also referred to the German people as "the mother of all Amalekites".[5] According to the Torah, Jews have a mandate to "anhilate their name from under the heaven."
For the 2009 elections Ariel was placed second on the National Union list, retaining his seat as the party won four mandates.
[edit] References
- ^ Parties and lists The Jerusalem Post
- ^ Candidates for the 16th Knesset Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ List of Candidates: Ichud Leumi - Mafdal Knesset website
- ^ Rightist MK Ariel visits Temple Mount as thousands throng Wall Haaretz, 9 October 2006
- ^ Olmert accompanies Merkel to Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial Haaretz, 17 March 2008
[edit] External links
- Uri Ariel Knesset website
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