Gadi Yevarkan
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019–2020Blue and White
2020–2022Likud
Personal details
Born (1981-01-01) 1 January 1981[1]
Ethiopia

Desta "Gadi" Yevarkan (Hebrew: דֵסְטַה "גָּדִי" יִבַרקָן, born 1 January 1981) is an Israeli politician. He was elected to the Knesset for Likud in 2020, having previously served as a Knesset member for the Blue and White alliance between 2019 and 2020.

Biography

Yevarkan was born in Ethiopia. His family emigrated to Israel in 1991 as part of Operation Solomon,[2] and initially settled in Tiberias before moving to a caravan site in kibbutz Hulda. He attended the Mikveh Israel boarding school. During his national service in the Israel Defense Forces, he served in the reconnaissance unit of the Givati Brigade,[2] reaching the rank of lieutenant. He subsequently studied for a bachelor's degree in law at the College of Management.

Yevarkan ran for a place on the Likud list for the 2009 and 2013 Knesset elections, but was unsuccessful on both occasions. In the 2013 municipal elections he headed the Ethiopian immigrant-dominated Ahdut (Unity) list in Rehovot. In 2016 he founded the Be'eri Mechina.[3]

In the build-up to the April 2019 elections, Yevarkan joined the new Telem party. After the party became part of the Blue and White alliance, he was given the thirty-third slot on the joint list,[4] and was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 35 seats, and was re-elected in the September 2019 elections. However, prior to the March 2020 elections he was removed from the Blue and White list after threatening to defect to Likud.[5] He was subsequently given the twentieth slot on the Likud list for the elections,[6] and resigned from the Knesset. He was replaced as an MK by Yorai Lahav-Hertzanu.[7] He returned to the Knesset after the elections, as Likud won thirty-six seats.[8] For the 2021 elections, Yevarkan was placed seventeenth on the Likud list,[9] and retained his seat in the Knesset, as Likud won thirty seats.[10] However, he lost his seat in the 2022 elections after being placed 66th on the Likud list.[11]

References

  1. ↑ חבר הכנסת דסטה גדי יברקן Knesset
  2. 1 2 Lappin, Yaakov (11 February 2016). "Our power can't rely on military force alone". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  3. ↑ Staff writer (30 April 2019). "Entering Knesset, Ethiopian MK kisses mother's feet in show of gratitude". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  4. ↑ 2019 Blue and White list CEC
  5. ↑ Azulay, Moran; Karni, Yuval (15 January 2020). "Blue & White MK defects to Likud". Ynetnews. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Likud to add Gadi Yevarkan to spot number 20". Israel National News. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  7. ↑ Yosef, Idan (16 January 2020). "יוראי להב הרצנו יחליף את גדי יברקן". News1 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "תוצאות האמת של הבחירות לכנסת ה-23". votes23.bechirot.gov.il (in Hebrew). Central Elections Committee. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Israel Election 2021: All the Official Party Slates". Haaretz. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Wootliff, Raoul; Magid, Jacob (26 March 2021). "Reform rabbi, Kahanist agitator, firebrand writer: The new Knesset's 16 rookies". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Likud Central Election Commission
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