Israel Hasson

Israel Hasson was born in 1955 in Damascus

Hasson was born in Damascus, Syria, to a family of 10 children. In 1962 he immigrated to Israel with his family by way of Adana in Turkey.

He left the IDF as a lieutenant in 1977 and then joined the Shin Bet, where he served for 23 years. His posts included head of the Jerusalem region, commander of the Lebanon region and of the Judea and Samaria region, and head of operations. From 1997 to 1999 he was deputy to Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon, and he took part in talks on the Taba, Hebron and Wye agreements and at Camp David.

After Avi Dichter was chosen over him to head the Shin Bet in 2000, he left for business. He founded Hasson Energy, which supplies fuel to factories and gas stations in northern Israel, and also traded with the Palestinian Authority.

He entered the Knesset in 2006 for Yisrael Beiteinu and chaired its Economic Affairs Committee. In 2006 he proposed a bill requiring website commenters to identify themselves, which did not advance. In November 2008 he moved to Kadima and was elected for it in 2009 and 2013.

In 2014 he was chosen as Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority and resigned from the Knesset. He held the post from December 2014 until November 2020.