Ehud Barak, Labor

Ehud Barak served as prime minister from 1999-2001. His tenure, among the shortest for an Israeli prime minister, was marked by the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from southern Lebanon and the start of the second intifada.

Following his loss to Ariel Sharon in the 2001 prime ministerial elections, Barak announced he was taking a break from politics and resigned as chairman of the Labor Party.

During his political career, Barak served as interior minister and foreign affairs minister in the government of Yitzhak Rabin. In 1996 Barak was elected chairman of the Labor Party.

Before entering politics, Barak enjoyed an illustrious 36-year career in the Israeli Defense Forces as the most decorated soldier in its history and in 1991 was appointed Chief of Staff, the highest position in the Israeli military.

Barak served in the military during the 1967 Six Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War and 1982 Lebanon War.

He was also a key architect of the June 1976 Entebbe Operation for the rescue of passengers on the Air France aircraft hijacked by terrorists and forced to land at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

Barak was born in 1942 on Kibbutz Mishmar Hasharon. He received his B.Sc in Mathematics and Physics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and his M.SC in Economic Engineering Systems at Stanford University in California.

Barak is divorced with three children.