Politicsסאלח טריף

Salah Tarif

Salah Tarif is a Druze Israeli politician who served in the Knesset between 1992 and 2006 and became Israel's first non-Jewish government minister in 2001.

born 1954First non-Jewish Israeli government ministerLabor Party Knesset memberHead of Julis local council

Born: 9 February 1954, Julis
Occupation: politician
Party: Israeli Labor Party
Education: University of Haifa

Salah Tarif was born in 1954 in Julis

Tarif was born in 1954 in the Druze village of Julis. He is the grandson of Sheikh Amin Tarif, a spiritual leader of the Druze community.

He served in the IDF in paratrooper and tank units and was discharged as a captain. In 1983 he began studies at the University of Haifa, where he earned a BA and was deputy chairman of the student union.

In 1983 he was elected head of the Julis local council and held the post until November 1993. He also chaired the board of Druze and Circassian mayors. He ran for the Knesset with the Labor Party in 1988 but did not win a seat.

He entered the Knesset in February 1992 in place of Ezer Weizman. He became Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs in 1995 and later Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. In 2001 Ariel Sharon appointed him Minister without Portfolio.

He resigned in January 2002 after a decision to prosecute him. In December 2003 he was convicted of bribery and fraud and breach of trust, and his appeals were rejected. He returned to the Knesset in November 2005 in place of Amram Mitzna and did not win a seat in 2006.