Politicsיצחק מרדכי

Yitzhak Mordechai

Yitzhak Mordechai is an Israeli former general and politician who served as Minister of Defense from 1996 to 1999.

born 1944Commanding all three regional commandsMinister of Defense, 1996 to 1999Founding the Centre party2001 sexual assault conviction

Born: 22 November 1944, Zakho
Occupation: politician, military personnel, military officer
Party: Likud
Education: Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa
Rank: major general
Wars: South Lebanon conflict, Yom Kippur War, Operation Accountability, Six-Day War

Yitzhak Mordechai was born in 1944 in Zakho

Mordechai was born on 22 November 1944 in Iraqi Kurdistan and immigrated to Israel in 1949. His family lived in the Zarin transit camp, then in the moshav Sde Terumot and later in Tiberias.

He earned a BA in history from Tel Aviv University and an MA in political science from the University of Haifa. He also graduated from IDF and British command and staff colleges.

He enlisted in 1962 and served in combat engineering and the Paratroopers. He fought in the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War, and later commanded all three regional commands. He retired in 1995.

He joined Likud in 1995 and became Defense Minister under Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996. After Netanyahu dismissed him in 1999, he helped found the Centre party and became Minister of Transport in Ehud Barak's government.

He resigned as minister in 2000 after being indicted for sexual misconduct, and left the Knesset in 2001. In March 2001 he was convicted on 2 counts of sexual assault and received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Milestones in Yitzhak Mordechai's life

1949
Immigrated to Israel.
1962
Enlisted in the IDF.
1981
Promoted to brigadier general and given command of the Galilee Division.
1986
Promoted to major general.
1993
Led Operation Accountability as head of Northern Command.
1995
Retired from the army and joined Likud.
1996
Became Minister of Defense.
1999
Left Likud to found the Centre party.
2001
Convicted of sexual assault and left the Knesset.

Yitzhak Mordechai held 3 offices between 1996 and 2001

1944today

Minister of Defense of Israel 1996 to 1999
Knesset member 1996 to 2001
Deputy Prime Minister of Israel 1999 to 2000

Yitzhak Mordechai served in the military

Mordechai served from 1962 to 1995, commanding Battalion 890 in the Yom Kippur War, where he received the Medal of Courage for the Battle of the Chinese Farm. He reached major general and commanded the Southern, Central and Northern Commands.