Dalia Itzik (Hebrew: דליה איציק), born 20 October 1952, is an Israeli politician affiliated with the Kadima party.1 Itzik took office as the first female speaker of the Knesset on 4 May 2006. She twice served as President of Israel in an interim capacity.
Biography
Itzik was born in Jerusalem to a family of Iraqi Jews. She is married to Danny, an employee of the Israel Electric Corporation. They have three children, Ran, Uri and Adi. The family lives in Jerusalem's Ramat Sharett neighborhood.2
Political career
Before being elected to the 13th Knesset in 1992, Itzik served as the deputy mayor of Jerusalem. As a member of the Labour party, she served as Minister of Commerce, Minister of the Environment and Minister of Communications.
A longtime member of the Labour Party, she joined Ariel Sharon's newly formed party, Kadima, in 2006.
On 25 January 2007, Israeli President Moshe Katzav took a three month leave of absence, and on 1 July of that year, resigned the office in a plea bargain. The speaker of the Knesset stands first in the line of succession, making Itzik acting President both times. She is the first woman to hold this office.
She served as the official head of State until Shimon Peres formally took over on July 15, 2007.
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