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Amram Mitzna (1945-)
Mayor of Haifa 1993- present
by Steven Klein
Amram Mitzna was born at Kibbutz Dovrat in 1945. However, he grew up
in Kiryat Haim, near Haifa. He was a graduate of the military academy
of the Reali School in Haifa in 1963, after which he was drafted into
the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He was awarded a B.A., in Geography
in 1977 and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Haifa.
He also graduated the program for senior public figures at the Center
for International Affairs, Harvard, in 1990. He is married with three
children.
Mitzna became a career officer in the Armor Corps. He served in Six-Day
War as Operations Officer of the Armored Battalion, during which he was
injured and for which he was awarded medal of distinguished service. In
the Yom Kippur War he was a Tank Battalion Commander on the southern front,
during which he was also injured and was awarded Chief of Staff Citation.
With his vast experience, he headed the Command and Staff College during
peacetime. In the Lebanon War (“Operation Peace for Galilee”),
he was sent to the Syrian front in Lebanon as Chief-of-Staff. In 1986
promoted to General and filled 3 posts successively as member of the general
staff of the IDF as assistant to the Chief of Intelligence Branch, OC
Central Commander, and Chief of the Planning Branch. He retired from the
IDF in 1993.
Mitzna was elected Mayor of Haifa and has served in that capacity since
November 1993. His first administration was characterized by the creation
of a new business atmosphere and in the flourishing of development. Highway
exchanges were built, roads, commercial centers. The foundation stone
of the Carmel tunnels was laid. The installation of computers in all dimensions
of the educational network was completed. A change was performed in the
organizational structure of the municipality. Mitzna was re-elected mayor
of Haifa in November 1998 for a second term by 65% of the electorate.
He has prided himself on running Israel’s largest mixed Arab-Jewish
city.
After Labor joined Ariel Sharon’s National Unity Government in
2001, Mitzna grew increasingly frustrated with his party’s continued
support of the government’s policies in the Territories. The Mayor
of Haifa decided that, rather than complain, the best form of action would
be to challenge Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, the party leader. Thus, emboldened
by polling samples, he threw his hat into the ring in August 2001 and
declared himself candidate for the leadership of Labor.
Mitzna represents the more dovish side of Labor and enjoys support from
many of its veteran members. He claims credentials closeness to slain
Israeli premier Yitzhak Rabin and presents himself as the one to continue
Rabin’s legacy of peace. However, his opponents voice the concern
that Mitzna is yet another “rookie” - bound to fail, like
the political nubile Barak - rather than succeed, like the veteran Rabin.
Biography Links:
ampaign website [Hebrew]: http://www.mitzna.co.il/profile.asp
Labor Party [Hebrew - select Hamitmodedim] http://www.avoda.org.il/
Haaretz newspaper [English]: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?
itemNo=230845&contrassID=2&subContrassID=15&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
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