Gideon Ezra
| Gideon Ezra | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | 30 June 1937 |
| Place of birth | Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine |
| Date of death | 17 May 2012 (aged 74) |
| Knessets | 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 |
| Faction represented in Knesset | |
| 1996–2005 | Likud |
| 2005–2012 | Kadima |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 2003–2004 | Minister in the Prime Minister's Office |
| 2004–2005 | Minister of Tourism |
| 2004–2006 | Minister of Internal Security |
| 2006–2009 | Minister of Environmental Protection |
Gideon Ezra (Hebrew: גדעון עזרא, 30 June 1937 – 17 May 2012) was an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Kadima between 1996 and 2012, and also held several ministerial portfolios.
Ezra's family came originally as immigrants from Iraq and settled in Palestine. He was born in Jerusalem and served in the Israeli Defense Force between 1955 and 1958 in the Nahal. He studied geography and political Science at the University of Haifa. He worked for the Shin Bet from 1962 to 1995, After leaving the service, he became an advisor to then Minister of Internal Security Moshe Shahal.
Ezra was elected to the Knesset in the 1996 elections on the Likud list, and retained his seat in the 1999 and 2003 elections. After Ariel Sharon beat Ehud Barak in the 2001 election for Prime Minister, Ezra was appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Security. He was given his first full ministerial position after the 2003 elections when appointed Minister in the Ministry of the Prime Minister's Office. When Binyamin Elon was sacked as Minister of Tourism in July 2004, Ezra replaced him, initially as Acting Minister (the position was made permanent at the end of August). From September 2004 he also held the position of Acting Minister of Internal Security after Tzachi Hanegbi resigned in the face of corruption allegations. This ministerial post was also made permanent in November, and Ezra oversaw the evacuation of the Amona settlement in February 2006. In November 2005 he was attacked during a rally in Sderot against Israel's unilateral disengagement plan over his support for it.
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