Politicsחיים כץ

Chaim Katz

Haim Katz is an Israeli politician of Likud who has served in the Knesset since 1999 and has held several cabinet posts, including Minister of Labor and Welfare and Minister of Tourism.

born 1947Labor union leadership at Israel Aerospace IndustriesMinister of Labor and WelfareFirst ministerial visit to Saudi Arabia

Born: 21 December 1947, Germany
Occupation: politician
Party: One Nation, Likud

Chaim Katz was born in 1947 in Germany

Katz was born in Germany in 1947 and came to Israel in 1949. He studied at the ORT vocational school in Givatayim and trained as an electronics technician. He served in the IDF and was discharged as a master sergeant.

In 1968 he began working at Israel Aerospace Industries. He later joined its workers' council and chaired the technicians and engineers' union, and in 1993 he became secretary of the national workers' organization there. In 1998 he founded the Oz faction in the Histadrut.

He entered the Knesset in 1999 with One Nation and moved to Likud before the 2003 election. He chaired the Labor, Welfare and Health Committee and was elected chair of the Likud Central Committee in 2015. He served as Minister of Labor and Welfare from 2015 and resigned in August 2019 after a decision to file charges against him.

In 2021 he waived his immunity, agreed to a plea deal and admitted to conflict of interest charges. In December 2022 he became Minister of Tourism, and in September 2023 he was the first Israeli minister to make a public visit to Saudi Arabia. In 2025 he also took on the housing and health ministries.

Katz lives in Shoham. He is married and has 3 children.