Mickey Levy

Mickey Levy
מיקי לוי
Speaker of the Knesset
In office
13 June 2021 – 13 December 2022
Preceded byYariv Levin
Succeeded byYariv Levin
Faction represented in the Knesset
2013–2019Yesh Atid
2019–2020Blue and White
2020–Yesh Atid
Ministerial roles
2013–2014Deputy Minister of Finance
Personal details
Born (1951-06-21) 21 June 1951 (age 75)
Jerusalem, Israel

Mickey Levy (Hebrew: מיקי לוי; born 21 June 1951) is an Israeli politician who is a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid and is a former Speaker of the Knesset. He was Deputy Minister of Finance between 2013 and 2014. Before entering politics he was a police officer.

Biography

Levy was born in Jerusalem to immigrant parents who were of Kurdish Jewish origin from Cizre, Turkey. He did his military service in the Israel Defense Forces in the Paratroopers Brigade. After being discharged from the military, he joined the Israel Police and held a series of command positions. He was head of Jerusalem branch of the Israel Police between 2000 and 2004, winning the Knight of Good Government award in 2002. After retiring he worked as the Israeli police attaché in Washington, D.C. until 2007. He also gained a BA in political science from the University of Haifa and an MEd from the University of Derby, and was CEO of the Egged Ta'avura bus company.

Prior to the 2013 Knesset elections, Levy joined the new Yesh Atid party and was placed eleventh on its list. He entered the Knesset after the party won 19 seats. Following Yesh Atid's coalition agreement with Likud, he was appointed as Deputy Finance Minister. He was placed eleventh on the party's list again for the 2015 elections, and was re-elected as the party won 11 seats.

In the build-up to the April 2019 elections, Yesh Atid joined the Blue and White alliance, with Levy placed twenty-second on its list. He was re-elected as the alliance won 35 seats.

As part of the agreement between Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid to form a "change" government, Levy was elected Speaker of the 24th Knesset on 13 June 2021, defeating Ya'akov Margi of Shas. Following the 2022 elections Levy was replaced as speaker by Yariv Levin.

Levy, as the chair of the State Control Committee, voted in October 2025 in favor of creating a commission of inquiry on the 7 October attacks, though it was voted down.

He confirmed in August 2026 that he would not run in the 2026 Israeli legislative election, but would remain active in the party.

Personal life

Levy is married to Nurit and has four children and lives in the Mevasseret Zion suburb of Jerusalem.

References

  1. 1 2 "Members of the 25th Knesset". Knesset.
  2. ↑ Abdulla, Hemen. "Kurdish-Israeli MP: we would support Kurdish independence". Rudaw. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  3. ↑ Editorial Staff (31 March 2015). "Israeli Kurdish MP Mickey Levy: We would support Kurdish independence". Ekurd.net. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Knesset Record for Mickey Levy. Relevant passage from 30 March 2026
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mickey Levy on Knesset
  6. ↑ Yesh Atid Central Elections Committee
  7. ↑ Ettinger, Yair (24 April 2013). "Deputy Finance Minister calls ultra-Orthodox 'parasites' on the air, and immediately apologizes". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Yesh Atid list Archived 5 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine Central Elections Committee
  9. ↑ "Yesh Atid's Mickey Levy appointed new Knesset speaker". The Times of Israel. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  10. ↑ Kingsley, Patrick (13 June 2021). "Mickey Levy is the Knesset's new speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "N12 - לאחר הסערה: יריב לוין נבחר ליו"ר הכנסת החדש". N12. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Neev, Keshet; Ben-Nun, Sarah (22 October 2025). "Israeli coalition lawmakers vote to topple state probe into October 7 failures". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  13. ↑ Jasper, Tzvi (1 September 2026). "Yesh Atid MK Levy confirms he will not be on Knesset list, says he is not leaving party". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 31 August 2026.