Omer Bar-Lev

Omer Bar-Lev was born in 1953 in Haifa

Omer Bar-Lev was born in Haifa in 1953. His father, Haim Bar-Lev, was IDF Chief of Staff and a government minister. He grew up in Ramat HaSharon and attended Tichon Hadash high school in Tel Aviv.

He joined the IDF in 1971 and volunteered for Sayeret Matkal. He fought in the Yom Kippur War and took part in the Savoy Hotel and Entebbe operations. He commanded the unit from 1984 to 1987 and later the Jordan Valley Brigade.

Between periods of service he earned a B.Sc. in agriculture from the Hebrew University in 1980 and studied international relations at Tel Aviv University. His thesis on security arrangements with Syria became a book. He was among the founders of Peace Now.

After leaving the army in 1994, he worked in technology and helped found Ituran. He founded the medical imaging company Paieon and in 1997 started the youth movement Acharai.

He entered the Knesset for the Labor Party in 2013. In 2021 he became Minister of Public Security and Minister for Community Strengthening and Advancement. He was not reelected in 2022, and in 2023 he became board chair of Angel Bakeries.