33 Facts About Yuval Steinitz

Yuval Steinitz is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Likud party.

Yuval Steinitz held several ministerial posts, including Minister of Finance, Minister of Intelligence, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Energy.

Yuval Steinitz currently serves as chairman of the board of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

Yuval Steinitz's father, Dan, is an engineer and his late mother, Mina, was a teacher of literature and philosophy.

Yuval Steinitz served in the IDF as a soldier in Golani infantry Brigade.

Yuval Steinitz sustained a leg injury during a battle with the Syrian army when he served as a reservist, during the 1982 Lebanon War.

In 1993 Yuval Steinitz was awarded the Alon Scholarship, the most prestigious award for outstanding young doctors in Israel, which led to a teaching position at the University of Haifa.

Yuval Steinitz was chosen two years in a row as "The outstanding Lecturer" in philosophy and the philosophy of science.

Yuval Steinitz published philosophical papers in academic journals including The Philosophical Quarterly, American Philosophical Quarterly, International Philosophical Quarterly, Cambridge Religious Studies, and The Jerusalem Philosophical Quarterly Iyyun.

Yuval Steinitz was injured in his leg during an anti-government rally outside the Prime Minister's Officer in Jerusalem in 1983, when a right-wing extremist hurled a hand-grenade into the crowd, killing peace activist Emil Grunzweig.

Right at the beginning of his tenure, Yuval Steinitz declared that the committee will cease to be "The House of Lords" and will exercise "a very proactive and effective parliamentary oversight of Israel defense establishment".

Yuval Steinitz argued that the Israel-Egypt Philadelphi agreement might erode the demilitarization of Sinai.

Yuval Steinitz was reelected to the 17th Knesset in 2006 when the Likud lost its leading position to Kadima.

Yuval Steinitz was Netanyahu's candidate for chairman of the "World Likud" in June 2006, but he lost to MK Danny Danon.

Yuval Steinitz was the first Finance Minister of Israel to submit to the Knesset a two-year budget, instead of the until-then customary one-year budget.

In 2009, most experts in the Bank of Israel and the Ministry of Finance opposed Yuval Steinitz's move, but today the biennial budget had a wide approval among the officials in the Bank of Israel and the Ministry of Finance.

Yuval Steinitz was reelected to 20th Knesset and became Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources in the Thirty-fourth government of Israel.

In July 2022, Yuval Steinitz announced that he would not run for reelection to the Knesset, and announced his retirement from politics.

In November 2009 Yuval Steinitz appointed Haim Shani as director general, but he resigned a year and a half later following the 2011 social protests.

In 2009 Yuval Steinitz started an intensive diplomatic campaign to promote Israel's acceptance to the OECD.

In 2010 Yuval Steinitz established the Sheshinski Committee to examine ways to increase the level of taxation on Natural Gas and Oil fields.

In July 2012, Yuval Steinitz led the signing of an economic agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

In May 2015, Yuval Steinitz was appointed Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources, as well as Minister in charge of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission.

Two months later, after several years of delays and against very strong opposition from the Israeli left circles, Yuval Steinitz formulated the "Gas Framework", in order to enable the development of Israel's biggest gas discovery "Leviathan", and to pave the way to future gas and oil explorations.

Yet in March 2016 Israel's Supreme court nullified the framework stability section, and forced Minister Yuval Steinitz to amend it and bring it back to government approval.

Together with Yuval Steinitz, they signed a bilateral agreement which upgrades the energy cooperation between the United States and Israel.

In July 2016 Yuval Steinitz announced that the Ministry of Energy will publish new oil and gas licenses, after four years in which the country economic waters were practically closed for new explorations and searches.

Yuval Steinitz has promoted a plan to shift all transportation in Israel from traditional fuels to electricity and natural gas, by the year 2030.

In June 2018, Yuval Steinitz signed an implementation agreement with his American counterpart, Rick Perry, establishing a joint energy research and development center.

Yuval Steinitz has campaigned for heightened awareness of the Iranian nuclear threat, lobbying at home and abroad to ensure that Iran does not become a nuclear power.

In 2008, when Israel refused permission for Palestinian Fulbright students to leave Gaza and study in the United States, Yuval Steinitz supported this action.

On 19 November 2017, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said that Israel has had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia amid common concerns over Iran.

Yuval Steinitz is married to Gila Canfy-Yuval Steinitz, a judge and the vice president of the Jerusalem District Court, with whom he has three children.