Kahalani, Avigdor (1944–)

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KAHALANI, AVIGDOR (1944–)

Israeli politician; minister of public security (June 1996–July 1999). Born in Mandatory Palestine in 1944, Kahalani was a career officer in the Israel Defense Forces, serving in the Arab-Israel War of 1973 and achieving the rank of brigadier general. He was elected to the Knesset in 1992 as a member of the Labor Party, serving on various committees, including Foreign Affairs and Defense, and Education and Culture. One of the founders of the Third Way Party, he led the party in the 1996 Knesset elections. In June 1996 Kahalani was appointed minister of public security, a post he held until July 1999. In 2001 he was acquitted of charges alleging that during his term as minister he had passed information to publisher Ofer Nimrodi regarding a police investigation against him.