Nissim Vaturi

Born in Rishon LeZion, Vaturi grew up in the Ramat Eliyahu neighborhood of the city. During his youth he was a member of the Rishon branch of the Betar youth movement, where he was a cadet of Likud member David Bitan. During his national service in the Israel Defense Forces he commanded an Israeli Air Force aircraft recovery team. He married a teacher, with whom he had seven children. The family moved to Alonei HaBashan in the Golan Heights in 2001 and he ran a cafe in Katzrin, but declared bankruptcy in 2015.[1] He received a correspondence doctorate from the International University of Business and Law in Kherson, Ukraine in 2008, but the qualification is not recognised in Israel.[1]

Vaturi also worked as a political advisor to Bitan.[2]

Vaturi was placed thirty-seventh on the Likud list for the April 2019 elections,[3] but the party won only 35 seats. He was placed fortieth for the September 2019 elections,[4] in which Likud won 32 seats. Although he missed out again in the March 2020 elections in which he was placed fortieth and Likud won 36 seats, he entered the Knesset on 11 December 2020 as a replacement for Gideon Sa'ar, who resigned after leaving Likud to establish his own party.[2] Placed thirty-seventh on the Likud list for the March 2021 elections, he lost his seat as Likud was reduced to 30 seats.

For the 2022 elections, he was placed twenty-first on Likud's list[5] and was elected to the Knesset again, as Likud won thirty-two seats.[6]

Toward entering the Knesset in 2022, Vaturi has been accused of manipulating his residential address to secure a more favorable position on the party's list during the primaries. Vaturi initially ran as a representative of regional councils but later changed his registered address to the local council of Katzrin, which falls under a different electoral district. This change enabled him to secure the 21st spot on the party list, as opposed to the 41st spot he would have held as a representative of regional councils. Critics within the Likud party allege that Vaturi did not genuinely reside in Katzrin and only changed his address for electoral purposes. Although the Likud court dismissed a petition against Vaturi on technical grounds, a police complaint has been filed accusing him of submitting a false declaration and fraudulently obtaining a position.[7]

Later that year, another controversy has arisen when Vaturi's name has been found on a construction project in Tel Aviv.[8] Vaturi has been listed as the executing contractor for a recently-started project on Basel Street in the city. The real estate developer explained that they are paying the Knesset member for the use of his construction license. However, officials from the Ministry of Construction and Housing emphasized that a contractor is not allowed to let others use their license. Additionally, serving Knesset members are prohibited from engaging in additional work. Vaturi refused to comment.[8]

In 2023, Vaturi claimed that some parents who support "LGBTQ values" are giving their boys dolls to play with, in order to encourage them to be gay.[9]

• Nissim Vaturi on the Knesset website