Dayan, Yael
DAYAN, YAEL
DAYAN, YAEL (1939– ), Israeli politician, writer, and peace activist, member of the Thirteenth to Fifteenth Knessets. Dayan was born in Nahalal. Her father was Moshe *Dayan and her grandfather Shemuel Dayan, a member of the First Knesset. Dayan first came to the public's notice in 1959, with the publication of her novel New Face in the Mirror, written in English and based on her army experiences. This was followed by Envy the Frightened (1961), Dust (1964), A Soldier's Diary (1967), Death Had Two Sons (1967), Three Weeks in October (1979), and Avi, Bitoh (My Father, His Daughter, 1986).
Dayan studied international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and life sciences at the Open University.
She was first elected to the Thirteenth Knesset in 1992 on the *Israel Labor Party list and served in the Knesset until the Fifteenth Knesset. She was twice chairperson of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women, where she fought relentlessly against the phenomenon of violence against women and violence in the family. Throughout her membership in the Knesset she also fought openly for the removal of the stigma and inequality of homosexuals and lesbians.
In the Labor Party primaries preceding elections to the Sixteenth Knesset, she did not finish high and together with Yossi *Beilin decided to run on the Meretz list, where she was placed 12th and therefore was not among the six Meretz candidates who won seats. In October 2003 Dayan ran successfully in the elections to the Tel Aviv municipality, subsequently serving as deputy mayor and holding the Welfare portfolio.
From the late 1970s Dayan was active in various peace movements, including *Peace Now, Bat Shalom, the International Center for Peace, and the Council for Peace and Security. She also became active in organizations fighting for human rights in general and the rights of women, homosexuals, and lesbians, in particular. She participated in many meetings with Palestinians, including meetings with Palestinian women. She was among the supporters of the Geneva Document signed by Yossi *Beilin and Yaser Abed Rabbo on December 1, 2003.
[Susan Hattis Rolef (2nd ed.)]