Daniel Friedmann ( he, דניאל פרידמן, born 17 April 1936) is a former professor at and dean of the Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law. He served as the Minister of Justice of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

from 2007 to 2009, having been appointed by then-Prime Minister

Ehud Olmert Ehud Olmert (; he, אֶהוּד אוֹלְמֶרְט, ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that as a cabinet minister from 1988 to 1992 and ...

. He was sworn in on February 7, 2007, succeeding

Tzipi Livni Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni ( he, ציפי (ציפורה) מלכה לבני, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former fore ...

. In 2009 he was succeeded by

Ya'akov Ne'eman Yaakov Neeman ( he, יעקב נאמן, 16 September 1939 – 1 January 2017) was an Israeli lawyer who also served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Finance. Biography Neeman was born to a religious Zionist family in Tel Aviv during the Ma ...

Early life

Friedmann was born in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

into a family that has lived there for seven generations.The government approved this evening: Friedman - Minister of Justice
Yedioth Ahronoth, 6 February 2007 He attended the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

, receiving a doctorate from the former.

Academic career

Friedmann was previously a professor of law at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

in the 1960s and 70s, including a stint as dean of the faculty of law there between 1974 and 1978. He subsequently taught law in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

at Harvard, Penn, and Fordham, and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

at Queen Mary, University of London. Friedmann has authored numerous legal articles and treatises in Hebrew and English.

Awards and honours

Friedmann is the recipient of several Israeli and international awards, including the Zeltner Prize (awarded to an outstanding jurist), the Sussman Prize, the Minkoff Prize, and the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

, in 1991, for law.

Politics and government

Friedman had been a member of the now-defunct

Democratic Movement for Change The Democratic Movement for Change (, ''Tnu'a Demokratit LeShinui''), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Dash (), was a short-lived and initially highly successful centrist political party in Israel. Formed in 1976 by numerous well-known non-pol ...

party, and later appeared at the symbolic 120th place on the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...

electoral list of one of its successor parties, Shinui, in the 2003 elections. Israeli Prime Minister

appointed Friedmann as the Minister of Justice on February 6, 2007.Our Fresh, New Justice Minister
Jerusalem Post, 7 February 2007 He was confirmed by the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

unanimously and by the Knesset (50-24-1) on February 7. He was sworn in the same day. The initial reaction to appointment was mixed, but the commentators agree that Friedmann is strongly critical of the Israeli Judiciary. In the past Friedmann has declared a preference for reforming the system by which justices are appointed to the Israeli Supreme Court.

References

External links