Moshe Katsav (Courtesy: Israeli Knesset)

Moshe Katsav (Hebrew מֹשֶׁה קַצָּב Mōšeh Qaṣṣāḇ), born December 5, 1945) is the current President of Israel (since 2000).

Moshe Katsav was born in Yazd, Iran. He moved with his family to Tehran when he was an infant; in August 1951, they emigrated to Israel. He remained fluent in Persian. He joined the Likud party and became the mayor of Kiryat Malachi, a small town in Israel. He was subsequently elected as a Member of the Knesset.

After serving as Deputy Prime Minister in the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, Katsav vied for the position of President, running against Shimon Peres. In a surprising upset, he defeated Peres to become the president of Israel, being elected by the Knesset on July 31, 2000. He took 63 votes (over 57 for Peres), two more than the required majority of 61, and was sworn in on August 1. He is the first President of Israel to have been sworn in for a seven-year term as well as the first candidate from the Likud party to be elected to the office.

Moshe Katsav's policies are directed at the full restoration of a Jewish state, and the collaboration of a long-term plan to allow for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Among his ideas are the West Bank Security Barrier, which is designed to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel.

He is married to Gila Katsav.

On April 8, 2005 President Katsav sat near Iranian President Mohammad Khatami during the funeral of Pope John Paul II because of alphabetical order and later President Katsav claimed that he shook hands and spoke with President Khatami and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, during the Christian service's traditional exchange of peace. That was the first political contact of Iran and Israel since 1979.[1] [2] Khatami however denied that such a meeting ever took place. [3]

See also

• List of national leaders