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Mr. Ehud Barak
Former Prime Minister, Israel

During his tenure (1999-2001), Israel’s 10th Prime Minister Ehud Barak lead the country out of prolonged recession and into an economic boom, with 5.9% annual growth, record foreign investments, near zero inflation, a halved deficit and significantly decreased external debt.

The core of Mr. Barak’s efforts was devoted to the peace process. In May 2001, he ordered the withdrawal of the Israeli Defence Forces from South Lebanon, ending 18 tragic and bloody years of Israel’s presence there. He led far-reaching efforts to negotiate peace agreements, first with Syria and later with the Palestinian authority, with the active participation of President Bill Clinton and his administration. Regrettably, these negotiations did not result in the breakthroughs necessary to conclude the final agreement.

Before being elected Prime Minister, Mr. Barak completed an illustrious 36-year career in the Israeli Defence Forces as the most decorated soldier in Israeli history (He was awarded the "Distinguished Service Medal" and four other citations for courage and operational excellence). For many years, he led Israel’s elite anti-terrorist unit, on one occasion successfully storming a hijacked airliner in Tel Aviv, and on another – disguised as a woman – leading a raid against the organisation that murdered Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Mr. Barak additionally served his country as Minister of the Interior from July-November 1995 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 1995 until June 1996. Elected to the Knesset in 1996, he served as a Member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. In 1996, Mr. Barak was elected Chairman of the Labor Party and in 1999 formed the One Israel Party from the Labor, Gesher and Meimad factions before taking on the post of Israel’s Prime Minister.

Mr. Barak was born in 1942 in Kibbutz Mishmar Hasharon. He holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1976), and M.Sc. in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford University, California (1978).

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