to the right by the fanning of nationalist tendencies. Concurrently the left in Israel was usurped by the well-to-do, so that the Labor party had ironically become elitist. Peretz claimed that this is why he saw an intrinsic connection between a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the resolving of Israel's internal social tensions. In 2008 Peretz also backed direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas. As defense minister Following Peretz's entry into government, however, perceptions of his views towards Palestinians changed, especially as the Defense Minister who led the military in the conflict in Lebanon and with the Hamas group in and around the Gaza Strip. The Army's actions, under Peretz, in Lebanon were described as "War Crimes" by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. While Peretz has not repudiated his past views he has been described by Arab MK Ibrahim Sarsur as a "child murderer" in the aftermath of the 2006 Qana airstrike, while Ahmad Tibi said to Peretz "you are a man of war, you are no longer a man of peace." Amir Peretz was hailed during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012 as a defence visionary for having had the foresight while in office back in 2006–2007 to face down myriad sceptics and push for the development of Iron Dome, Israel's unique anti-rocket interceptor system. References External links |- |- |- |- 1952 births Living people Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent Moroccan emigrants to Israel Israeli Sephardi Jews 20th-century Moroccan Jews Israeli Mizrahi Jews General Secretaries of Histadrut Leaders of political parties in Israel Leaders of the Opposition (Israel) One Nation (Israel) politicians Israeli Labor Party politicians Zionist Union politicians People from Boujad Hatnua politicians Ministers of Defense of Israel Ministers of Environment of Israel People from Sderot Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992) Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996) Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999) Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003) Members of the 16th Knesset (2003–2006) Members of the 17th Knesset (2006–2009) Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013) Members of the 19th Knesset (2013–2015) Members of the 20th Knesset (2015–2019) Members of the 21st Knesset (2019) Members of the 22nd Knesset (2019–2020) Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021)