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Ami Ayalon (Hebrew: עמי איילון‎) (born on 27 June 1945 in Tiberias, Israel) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset from the Labor Party. [1] He is a former commander of the Israeli Navy and, as of January 2007, is a candidate for the Labor Party leadership.

Contents 1 Education 2 Military and Security Service 3 Election 4 Peace Activity 5 See also

Ayalon graduated with a BA in Economics and Political Science from Bar Ilan University in 1980. He also earned an MA in Public Administration at Harvard University in 1992.

Ayalon served his entire military service in the Israeli Navy. Ayalon enlisted in 1963 and volunteered for the Shayetet 13 navy commando unit. In 1969, Ayalon was decorated with the Medal of Valor, Israel highest award for his conduct in Operation Bulmus 6 - the assault on fortified Green Island, Egypt (jointly with Sayeret Matkal). In 1979, Ayalon was appointed commander of Shayetet 13, and was once again decorated - this time for carrying out a long list of operations without casualties.

Ayalon, receiving the rank of admiral, served as commander of the Israeli Navy from 1992 through 1996. [2]

Following Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination in 1995, Ayalon was "parachuted" into the post of head of the Shin Bet (Israel's internal security service). He retired in 2000.

In 2006, Ayalon was elected as member of Knesset for the Israeli Labor Party, but was not given a position in the cabinet when Labor entered a coalition with the Kadima Party. Ayalon is currently a candidate for the leadership of the Labor Party in the primaries that are scheduled for May 2007. As of January 2007, public opinion polls show Ayalon leading the race, followed by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Ophir Pines-Paz. [3]

On 25 June 2003, Ayalon launched, together with Palestinian professor Sari Nusseibeh, a peace initiative called "The National Census". The goal of the initiative is to collect as many signatures of Israelis and Palestinians as possible for the peace plan guidelines supporting a two state solution without the right of return for Palestinian refugees. (See main article: The People's Voice.)

Although Ayalon promotes traditional left wing ideas, he insists he is not a part of the Israeli left and spurns the Israeli peace camp for its hostility toward the Israeli public and especially toward the settlers. Ayalon managed to outrage many left-wing activists when he said that only Ariel Sharon and the Likud could bring peace.

He took part in the "Mate ha-Rov" demonstration in support of the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and made a very critical speech against the Israeli peace camp. He said:

We, who protest here, did not succeed in reaching{Hebrew: לחלחל "Lechalchel", Does not translate in context} the majority of the people. The majority {Hebrew: "Ha-Rov" הרוב} is silent and therefore has no influence. I will tell you why the majority is not here. They are not here because we didn't manage to settle in the hearts {Hebrew: להתנחל בלבבות, originally a phrase invented by the settlers} of this true majority, the majority that makes the difference. We didn't manage to talk and perhaps we didn't even want to. We turned the settlers of Yesha into enemies and in an overbearing manner we banished them to the outskirts. We will only succeed when the grief of the evacuees will overcome the joyous cry of the evacuators. We claimed the desire for peace solely as our own. The majority sits at home and is quiet, although it wants out of Gaza the same as we do. The majority doesn't care, and shouldn't care, which person signs the accords to end the {Israeli-Palestinian} conflict. In order to get out of Gaza, the majority of the people must not be silent.

Note: The speech was originally conveyed in Hebrew; translator comments are in {brackets}. [4]

• National Census
• Israeli peace camp
• Ami Ayalon's profile

Preceded by Carmi Gillon

Director of the Shabak 1996–2000

Succeeded by Avi Dichter