Yuval Steinitz (; born 10 April 1958) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Likud party. He also held several ministerial posts, including Minister of Finance, Minister of Intelligence, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Energy. Steinitz holds a PhD in philosophy and has been a senior lecturer at the University of Haifa. His book "Invitation to Philosophy", was published in 74 editions and printings and considered the best-selling philosophy book in the history of the State of Israel. Steinitz currently serves as chairman of the board of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Biography Born and raised in Moshav Ramot HaShavim, 30 km north of Tel Aviv, he is the eldest of four children. His father, Dan, is an engineer and his late mother, Mina, was a teacher of literature and philosophy. Steinitz served in the IDF as a soldier in Golani infantry Brigade (1977–1980). He sustained a leg injury during a battle with the Syrian army when he served as a reservist, during the 1982 Lebanon War.
Academic work After three years of compulsory military service, he was awarded BA and MA in philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with honors.MK Yuval Steinitz in the Knesset website His doctoral thesis From a Rational Point of View was completed at the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas at Tel Aviv University.Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas Tel Aviv University website The thesis examined the possibility of logical arguments for the existence of God, and the rule of logical reasoning in modern science. In 1993 Steinitz was awarded the Alon Scholarship, the most prestigious award for outstanding young doctors in Israel, which led to a teaching position at the University of Haifa. Steinitz was chosen two years in a row as "The outstanding Lecturer" in philosophy and the philosophy of science. In 1996 he was appointed Senior Lecturer (the Israeli parallel of a tenured assistant professor).
Steinitz has published several philosophy books. The first, Invitation to Philosophy (1987), became a number one best-selling philosophy book in Israeli history, and was printed in 60 editions. Another book, A Logical-Scientific Missile to God and Back became a best seller as well and was printed in 17 editions. He also published philosophical papers in academic journals including The Philosophical Quarterly, American Philosophical Quarterly, International Philosophical Quarterly, Cambridge Religious Studies, and The Jerusalem Philosophical Quarterly Iyyun.
Political career Steinitz's political involvement began in the early 1980s when he joined the 'Peace Now' movement as a young student. He was injured in his leg (the same leg again) during an anti-government rally outside the Prime Minister's Officer in Jerusalem in 1983, when a right-wing extremist hurled a hand-grenade into the crowd, killing peace activist Emil Grunzweig.'With all guns blazing' Haaretz Steinitz's reservations about Oslo Accords signed with the Palestinians, together with his concerns regarding the massive Egyptian military buildup despite the peace treaty with Israel, led him to shift to the right in 1995 and to publicly support the Likud Party.Avi Pozen "Beaad atzuma hogenet" The Seventh Eye, 1 May 1996
15th Knesset (1999–2003) In 1999 he was elected to the 15th Knesset on the Likud list. A year later he became a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the chairman of its "Subcommittee on Defense Planning and Policy" and a member of the Constitution and Law Committee.
In 1999–2004, he served as president of Israel's Media Watch.Israel's Media Watch past Leadership
16th Knesset (2003–2006) After being reelected to the 16th Knesset, he became chairman of Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chairman of the "Subcommittee on Intelligence and Secret Service" and co-chairman of the "Joint Committee on Defense with the US Congress", which he established and chaired together with Senator Jon Kyl."American senators to visit Israel" YnetNews, 17 February 2007 Right at the beginning of his tenure, Steinitz declared that the committee will cease to be "The House of Lords" and will exercise "a very proactive and effective parliamentary oversight of Israel defense establishment". This new approach has led him to a series of clashes with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, with Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz and with IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon."Who oversees the military?" Globes, 17 July 2004
A few months later, he established the "Investigation Committee for the Israeli Intelligence following the Iraq War" and appointed himself as its chairman. This was followed later on by the establishment of similar committees in the United States and the United Kingdom. The committee report in 2004 sharply criticized the Israeli Intelligence Community for misleading alerting reports, following its failure to detect the non-existence of chemical weapons and ballistic missiles in Iraq before the war. Additionally, the report also criticized the failure of the Israeli intelligence to detect the Libyan nuclear program on time. The committee's public report included a number of specific recommendations: Consider removing SIGINT Unit 8200 from the IDF's and transform it into a civilian SIGINT authority. Accelerate the development of the Israeli spy satellites program, operated together by the IDF and the Mossad. Providing a special program of advanced academic studies for young intelligence officers, that will include, among other areas, some philosophical background. This recommendation was implemented with the establishment of the BA and MA "Havatzalot Program". Appointing a special intelligence secretary to the Prime Minister with the same status as the military secretary.
Along with the above, Steinitz established a special Public Committee led by Prof. Amnon Rubinstein to examine the means to improve parliamentary oversight of the defense establishment.recommendation: The Knesset will oversee the territories Walla News, 13 December 2004 As committee chairman often pointed to the massive Egyptian military buildup with modern American weapons. In addition, Steinitz expressed a great Support for developing the Israeli Navy into a significant strategic arm and published several articles on this issue at the Maarachot Military Journal.The sea as Israeli strategic depth Maarachot, May 2002
Steinitz supported Sharon's 2005 plan to withdraw from Gaza. Yet, at the same time, he led a parliamentary battle against delivering the Philadelphi Corridor to Egypt, claiming that the Egyptians deliberately ignore Palestinian arms smuggling through the Sinai Peninsula.Q&A with MK Yuval Steinitz Haaretz, 2 December 2010 He also argued that the Israel-Egypt Philadelphi agreement might erode the demilitarization of Sinai.Government confirms: Changes to the peace agreement with Egypt Yedioth Ahronoth, 28 August 2005
In addition, he called for a rapid "Defensive Shield" Operation in Gaza, prior to the Israeli withdrawal, in order to destroy the Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets industry.Steinitz: Military operation or postpone disengagement from Gaza Ynet, 25 May 2005
In 2018, the Israeli censorship allowed the publication of the secret documents that Steinitz sent to Prime Minister Sharon and the heads of the security services and intelligence organizations – in which he indicated in the summer of 2004 the possible existence of a secret nuclear project in Syria. It turned out that Steinitz and the sub-committee he chaired were the first in Israel and in the entire Western world, who have uncovered the military nuclear project in Syria, in absolute contrast to the intelligence agencies in Israel and the world. In the summer of 2004, Steinitz asked the Mossad and the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate to present to the sub-committee of Intelligence and Secret Services a special plan to uncovering the likely secret nuclear project in Syria. While the military intelligence ignored the warnings, the Mossad did, in fact, change its action plan according to Steinitz's report, and after three years the Mossad found proof of the existence of a nuclear plant in the process of being built in the Syrian desert, which led to the destruction of the plant by the Israeli Air Force in 2007.MKs warned about Syria’s nuke plans years before 2007 reactor strike – report Times of Israel, 6 June 2018
17th Knesset (2006–2009) Steinitz was reelected to the 17th Knesset in 2006 when the Likud lost its leading position to Kadima. As an opposition MK became again a member on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and as the chairman of the "Subcommittee on Defense Readiness". Steinitz was Netanyahu's candidate for chairman of the "World Likud" in June 2006, but he lost to MK Danny Danon.
18th Knesset (2009–2013) After being reelected to the 18th Knesset, and following the Likud 2009 victory, Steinitz was appointed Minister of Finance and a member of the inner Security Cabinet by Prime Minister Netanyahu.Netanyahu sworn in as Israel's prime minister Haaretz, 1 April 2009.
He was the first Finance Minister of Israel to submit to the Knesset a two-year budget, instead of the until-then customary one-year budget. This move generated some controversy, with some accusing it of decreasing government transparencyTwo-year budget feeds corruption . Globes (27 April 2010). Retrieved 9 September 2011. and others praising it for its greater efficiency.A Case Study in Success: Yuval Steinitz . Frischoffthepress.com (5 October 2010). Retrieved 9 September 2011. Since then, Israel continued with the biennial budget and became the first country in the west to institute such a policy change. In 2009, most experts in the Bank of Israel and the Ministry of Finance opposed Steinitz's move, but today the biennial budget had a wide approval among the officials in the Bank of Israel and the Ministry of Finance.
19th Knesset (2013–2015) In the 19th Knesset Steinitz served as Minister for Intelligence, Strategic Affairs and International Relations in the new government.
20th Knesset (2015–2020) Steinitz was reelected to 20th Knesset and became Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources in the Thirty-fourth government of Israel.
In July 2022, Steinitz announced that he would not run for reelection to the Knesset, and announced his retirement from politics.
Legislation Among the laws initiated by Steinitz during his tenure as MK: A law of three-year cooling off period for IDF generals and Heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Police, before they can become Knesset Members or government ministers.Knesset approves 3-year cooling off period for IDF officers YnetNews, 12 March 2007 A law regulating the research of biological pathogens (bacteria, viruses, etc.) (with MK Aryeh Eldad).New Law Regulates Research of Dangerous Bacteria and Viruses Haaretz, 6 November 2008 A law requiring noise meters in event halls.
Minister of Finance (2009–2013) With the establishment of the 32nd by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Steinitz was appointed Minister of Finance. He took up this position in March 2009, during the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis, and after the Israeli economy already suffered from two quarters of negative economic growth which led to almost 10% unemployment.The Israeli Labor Market 1999-2014 Chief Economist Department's, Ministry of Finance