Pinchas Rosen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pinchas Rosen (Hebrew: פנחס רוזן, born Felix Rosenblit, May 1, 1887 - May 3, 1978) was an Israeli politician and statesman, and the country's first Minister of Justice, serving three times during 1948-51, 1952-56, and 1958-61. He was also leader of the Independent Liberals during the 1960s.
[edit] Background
Rosen was born in Berlin, Germany. He studied law in universities in Freiburg and Berlin, graduating in 1908, and later served in the German army in World War I. Always active in Zionist circles, Rosen eventually immigrated to Palestine in 1926, where he practiced as an attorney.
[edit] Political career
In 1942 Rosen founded the New Aliyah Party, and in 1948 he was among the signers of the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.
The New Aliyah Party evolved in the Progressive Party, and Rosen was elected to the Knesset in the 1949 elections. The party joined David Ben Gurion's Mapai in forming a coalition, and Rosen was made Israel's first Minister of Justice.
He retained his seat and Ministerial position in the 1951, 1955 and 1959 elections. Soon after the 1959 election the Progressive Party merged with the General Zionists to form the Liberal Party.
The new party won the third largest number of seats in the 1961 elections, but was not invited into the coalition, and Rosen lost his ministerial position. In order to consolidate opposition to Mapai's hegemony within Israeli politics, the Liberal Party merged with Herut to form Gahal. Rosen, however, was unhappy with the merger, and led a breakaway of seven MKs to found the Independent Liberals. He was elected to the sixth Knesset, but resigned from the Knesset on December 23, 1968, and retired from politics.
[edit] References
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| Pinchas Rosen (three times) • Dov Yosef (twice) • Haim Cohen • David Ben-Gurion • Yaakov Shimshon Shapiro (twice) • Golda Meir (twice) • Haim Yosef Tzadok • Menachem Begin • Shmuel Tamir • Moshe Nissim • Yitzchak Modai • Avraham Sharir • Dan Meridor • David Libai • Yaakov Neeman • Benjamin Netanyahu • Tzachi Hanegbi • Yossi Beilin • Meir Sheetrit (twice) • Yosef Lapid • Tzipi Livni (twice) • Haim Ramon • Daniel Friedmann |
