13 Facts About Efraim Sneh

Ephraim Sneh is an Israeli politician, physician, and a retired brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces.

Efraim Sneh was a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party between 1992 and 2008 and served in several ministerial posts.

Efraim Sneh headed the Yisrael Hazaka party, which he established in May 2008 but failed to pass the electoral threshold in the 2009 Israeli legislative election and has been inactive since then.

Efraim Sneh's father was elected to the first Knesset as a representative of Mapam, before defecting to Maki, the Israeli Communist Party.

Efraim Sneh served in the Nahal infantry battalion from 1962 to 1964.

Efraim Sneh studied medicine at Tel Aviv University and specialized in internal medicine.

Efraim Sneh commanded the medical unit at Operation Entebbe, and Yonatan Netanyahu died in his arms.

In 1992, Efraim Sneh was elected to the Knesset, serving as Minister of Health from 1994 to 1996.

Efraim Sneh stood out in his objection to the withdrawal from southern Lebanon, though he eventually accepted it following Prime Minister Ehud Barak's decision.

Generally, Efraim Sneh is considered a "hawk" in the Labor Party.

Efraim Sneh served under Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who was the Labor Party leader.

The replacement of Peretz by Barak as both party leader and Defense Minister in the summer of 2007 led to a change in the deputy position; Efraim Sneh left office on 18 June 2007 and was replaced by Matan Vilnai.

On 25 May 2008, Efraim Sneh announced that he would be leaving the Labor Party and creating a new party, Yisrael Hazaka.