VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Born: 16 August, 1923 in Vishneva, Poland (now Belarus).
1934: moved with family to Palestine.
Attended Ben Shemen agricultural school, was one of Kibbutz Alumot founders.
Engaged in political activities at the age of 16.
1943: appointed secretary of a Labour Zionist youth movement.
1947-1948: worked at headquarters at the Haganah, a Jewish paramilitary organisation in Palestine and predecessor of the Israel Defence Forces, under patronage of David Ben-Gurion and Levi Eshkol.
1948-1949: served in Israel's Navy.
1949: sent to the United States as head of the arms-procurement delegation. Took courses at the New York School for Social Research and at Harvard.
1952-1953: Deputy Director-General of Defence.
1953-1959: Director-General of Defence. Contributed to establishing Israel's electronic aircraft industry and nuclear programme, as well as military-technical cooperation with France. Participated in the preparation of the 1956 Sinai Campaign.
1959: member of the Mapai party. Elected a Member of the Knesset, has been a member ever since.
1959-1965: Deputy Minister of Defence.
1965: left the Mapai party together with David Ben-Gurion, appointed Secretary-General of Rafi party. Initiated Rafi's union with Mapai to form the Labour Party (Avoda).
1969: appointed Minister of Immigrant Absorption.
1970-1974: Minister of Transportation and Communications. Information Minister in 1974.
1974-1977: Minister of Defence. Participated in talks on the Interim Agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1975. Was behind the Entebbe rescue operation in 1976.
1977: Acting Prime Minister after the resignation of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Elected Labour Party chairman after the party's defeat at the general elections to hold the position until 1992.
1984-1986: Prime Minister of Israel.
1986-1988: Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
1988-1990: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance.
1990-1992: led the opposition in the Knesset.
1992: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs following Labour Party's return to power. Brought about efforts for peaceful solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Was behind the Oslo Accords. Signed on behalf of Israel the Declaration of Principles (Oslo Agreement) on 13 September, 1993. Won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize together with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. Participated in peace negotiations with Jordan that resulted in Israel and Jordan signing a peace treaty in October 1994.
November 1995: became Acting Prime Minister and Defence Minister following Rabin's assassination, leader of Labour Party.
1996-1999: member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.
June 1997: replaced by Ehud Barak as Labour Party leader.
1999-2001: Minister of Regional Cooperation.
2001: elected as temporary chairman of the Labour Party following Barak's defeat at the elections of Prime Minister.
2001-2002: Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
October 2002: resigned together with the other Labour ministers.
2002-2004: led the opposition in the Knesset.
January-November 2005: First Deputy Prime Minister.
November 2005: Labour party voted to quit the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Before the elections for the 17th Knesset, Peres quits Labour party to back Ariel Sharon and join Kadima.
May 2006: appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for the Development of the Negev and Galillee.
June 13, 2007: elected the Ninth President of Israel. Inaugurated July 15, 2007.
A prominent public figure. Held the post of Vice President of Socialist International.
Known as an adamant supporter of a political solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and supporter of Palestinian Authority. Spoke in favour of Israel's withdrawal from the Golan Heights in the context of return for peace with Syria.
Founded the Peres Centre for Peace in October 1997.
Considered a liberal and supporter of moderate socialist Zionism by Israeli political circles. Enjoys influence on international Jewish organisations.
Visited Moscow several times, the latest visit as Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister in May 2001.
Has authored a number of books, including The Next Step (1965), and Battling for Peace: A Memoir (1995). The New Middle East (1993) was published in Russian. Married, with two sons and a daughter. Has six grandchildren.
