Majalli Wahabi

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Majalli Wahabi (Hebrew: מגלי והבה, Arabic: مجلي وهبه, also known as Majalli Whbee, born 12 February 1954) is a Druze politician from Israel and currently a member of the Knesset on behalf of Kadima. He holds the position of Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, and briefly became Israel's Acting President due to Moshe Katzav's leave of absence and Dalia Itzik's trip abroad in February 2007, making him the first non-Jew to act as Israel's head of state.

[edit] Background

Wahabi was born on February 12, 1954 in the Druze village of Beit Jann. He earned a B.A. in the History of Islam from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an M.A. in the History of the New Middle East from the University of Haifa.

He served in the Israel Defense Forces. Initially assigned as an instructor at the intelligence school, he joined a Druze infantry battalion and became an officer. He served in the 1982 Lebanon War, and subsequently as a deputy brigade commander in the Golan Heights Division and as a senior Northern Command officer. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Wahabi is married with four children. Wahabi's son, Tomer is the first Druze member of Israel Army Radio.

[edit] Political career

Wahabi met then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon in 1981. Starting in 1996, he served as Sharon's personal ambassador to Israel's Arab neighbors, Egypt and Jordan.

He was elected to the 16th Knesset in 2003 on the Likud list. In March 2005 he was appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry in the Prime Minister's Office, and became Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, and Sport in June 2006.

When Sharon left Likud to found Kadima, Wahabi followed, and was elected to the 17th Knesset in 2006. He assumed the position of Deputy Speaker of the Knesset

His public activities include:

Director General, the Ministry for Regional Cooperation (1999-2002)
Senior Political Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998-1999)
Aide to the Minister of Infrastructure (1996-1999) - the Minister of Infrastructure in question was Ariel Sharon