Meirav Ben-Ari

Meirav Ben-Ari (Hebrew: מֵירַב בֶּן־אֲרִי‎, born 13 November 1975) is an Israeli politician. She currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid and was previously a member of the Knesset for Kulanu between 2015 and 2019.

Meirav Ben-Ari
מירב בן ארי‎
Faction represented in the Knesset
2015–2019Kulanu
2021–Yesh Atid
Personal details
Born (1975-11-13) 13 November 1975
Raanana, Israel

During a session in the Israeli Knesset in October 2023, Arab Member of the Knesset Aida Touma-Suleiman was interrupted multiple times for merely equating the lives of Israeli and Palestinian children, as MK Meirav Ben-Ari insisted that they were not equal. When it was her turn to speak, Ben-Ari stated that the children in Gaza brought this upon themselves.[1]

Biography

Ben-Ari was born in Raanana and moved to Netanya with her family as a child. Her father, Rafael Ben-Ari (originally Ayubi) was an Iranian-Jewish immigrant to Israel and her mother, Esther Ben-Ari (née Sa'adon) was a native-born Israeli of Libyan-Jewish origin. During her Israel Defense Forces national service she served in the Education and Youth Corps, with her last post being the education officer of the Golani Brigade. She studied for a BA in law and government and a Master's degree in business administration at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. Between 2003 and 2004 she was head of the student union at the college.

In 2005 she took place in the reality show "Needed: A Leader". She won the contest, winning five million shekels.[2]

She lives in Tel Aviv. She has a daughter and was the first single mother in the Knesset.[3]

Political career

In the 2013 local elections she was fourth on the Rov HaIr list for Tel Aviv City Council.[4] She was elected to the council and given the portfolio for promoting youth.

Prior to the 2015 elections she joined the Kulanu party, and was placed tenth on its list.[5] She was elected to the Knesset as the party won ten seats.[6] She was placed sixth on the party's list for the April 2019 elections, but lost her seat when the party was reduced to four seats. In 2021 Ben-Ari joined Yesh Atid and was placed seventh on its list for the March 2021 elections. She re-entered the Knesset when the party won seventeen seats. She was re-elected in the 2022 elections.

In the aftermath of Hamas' October 7, 2023 terrorist attack, Meirav stated that there's no symmetry between Israeli and Gazan children, and that Gazan children brought this upon themselves. [7]

See also

References
  1. Ofir, Jonathan (2023-10-18). "Israeli politician: 'The children of Gaza have brought this upon themselves'".
  2. An Israeli shares the winnings, ISRAEL21c, 2 April 2006
  3. Merav, Ben Ari (April 9, 2018). "Merav Ben Ari Knesset Member and Single Mom". YouTube.
  4. The academy of the leaders of the future IDC Herzliya
  5. Kulanu list Central Elections Committee
  6. Final Unofficial* results of the Elections for the Twentieth Knesset Central Elections Committee
  7. https://mondoweiss.net/2023/10/israeli-politician-the-children-of-gaza-have-brought-this-upon-themselves/
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