Ra'anan Cohen

(1941 - )

Ra'anan Cohen is a former Israeli politician who served as a minister in the Cabinet.

Cohen (born February 28, 1941) was born in Iraq and immigrated to Israel in 1951. He holds a B.A. degree in History, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Studies from Tel Aviv University.

Cohen was a Counsellor in the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed youth movement and Secretary of the Young Guard of the Labor Party in Bnei Brak (1961-1970). He served as Chairman of the Arab and Druze Branch of the Labour Party (1975-1986) and as Chairman of the Elections Branch of the Labor Party (1986-1992), as well as Chairman, the Movement for Integration of the Discharged Soldier (1990).

Elected on the Labor ticket to the Knesset for the first time in 1988, Cohen served on the Knesset, the Finance, the Foreign Affairs and Defense, and State Control Committees. In the 13th and 14th Knesset he was Chairman of the Labor parliamentary group. From 1999 to 2001, Cohen served in the Knesset for the One Israel Party before moving back to Labor from 2001 to 2002.

From August 2000 until March 2001 he served as Minister of Labor and Social Welfare. In March 2001, Cohen was appointed Minister without Portfolio. He left his Cabinet position in August 2002 and resigned from the Knesset shortly thereafter.

He is married, with four children.

Sources: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Wikipedia; Photo used with permission of the Knesset