Yitzhak Mordechai

{{Short description|Israeli former general and politician}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Yitzhak Mordechai
| native_name = {{Nobold|{{Script/Hebrew|יצחק מרדכי}}}}
| native_name_lang = he
| image = Yitzhak Mordechai (cropped).jpg
| caption = Mordechai in 1997
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1944|11|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Akre]], [[Kurdistan Region]], [[Iraq]]
| death_date =
| office1 = Ministerial roles
| suboffice1 = [[Defense Minister of Israel|Minister of Defense]]
| subterm1 = 1996–1999
| suboffice2 = [[Deputy leaders of Israel#Deputy Prime Minister|Deputy Prime Minister]]
| subterm2 = 1999–2000
| suboffice3 = [[Transportation Minister of Israel|Minister of Transport]]
| subterm3 = 1999–2000
| office4 = Faction represented in the [[Knesset]]
| suboffice4 = [[Likud]]
| subterm4 = 1996–1999
| suboffice5 = [[Centre Party (Israel)|Center Party]]
| subterm5 = 1999–2001
| service_years = 1962–1995
| branch = [[Israel Defense Forces]]
| rank = ''[[File:IDF aluf.svg|IDF aluf|20px]] [[Aluf]]''
| unit = [[35th Paratroopers Brigade (Israel)|35th Paratroopers]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[Six-Day War]]
* [[War of Attrition]]
* [[Yom Kippur War]]
** [[Battle of the Chinese Farm]]
{{tree list/end}}
| awards = [[Medal of Courage]]
}}

'''Yitzhak''' "'''Itzik'''" '''Mordechai''' ({{langx|he|יצחק מרדכי}}; born 22 November 1944) is an Israeli former general and politician. He served as a member of the [[Knesset]] between 1996 and 2001, and as [[Defense Minister of Israel|Minister of Defense]] and [[Transportation Minister of Israel|Minister of Transport]]. He retired from political life after being indicted for sexual assaults during his military service and later periods.

==Biography==
Mordechai was born in the town of [[Akre]],[https://books.google.com/books?id=u_DFlzttxl0C&dq=aqrah+iraq&pg=PA231 Google Books] in Iraq's [[Kurdistan Region]], to a [[History of the Jews in Kurdistan|Sephardic Jewish]] family, and made [[aliyah]] to Israel in 1949.{{better source needed|date=February 2023}} He holds a BA in history from [[Tel Aviv University]] and an MA in Political Science from the [[University of Haifa]].{{better source needed|date=February 2023}} He is a divorced father of three.[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/yitzhak-mordechai Yitzhak Mordechai]{{better source needed|date=February 2023}}

==Military career==
In 1962 he enlisted to the [[Combat Engineering Corps]] of the [[Israel Defense Forces]] and later joined the [[Paratroopers Brigade]]. He remained in the military as an officer after finishing his compulsory military service. He fought in the [[Six-Day War]], [[War of Attrition]], and [[Yom Kippur War]]. During the Yom Kippur War, he participated in the [[Battle of the Chinese Farm]]. He was decorated with the [[Medal of Courage]] for his actions during the Yom Kippur War. In 1984, in what became known as the [[Kav 300 affair]], Mordechai, then a Brigadier General, was framed for the killing of two Palestinian bus hijackers. Mordechai was tried, and acquitted when the truth became known. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1986, and became known as the "General of the Three Commands", after serving as commander of all three territorial commands (North, Center and South). The [[First Intifada]] broke out in December 1987, when Mordechai was commander of the Southern Command. As head of the Northern Command he presided over [[Operation Accountability]] in 1993. Mordechai retired from active service in 1995 after 33 years of service,[https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=87 Yitzhak Mordechai: Particulars] Knesset website{{better source needed|date=February 2023}} when new Chief of General Staff [[Amnon Lipkin-Shahak]] did not appoint him as his deputy.

Mordechai continued to hold the rank of Major General in the reserves following his retirement. After he was convicted of sexual harassment and assault, a military tribunal ruled that he would retain the rank of Major General in spite of his conviction. [[Military Advocate General]] [[Avichai Mandelblit]] appealed the decision, arguing that he should be demoted, but the [[Military Court of Appeals]] ruled that he could keep his rank.[https://www.haaretz.com/1.4940687 Yitzhak Mordechai to keep rank, despite sex assault conviction]

==Political career==
[[File:Yitzhak Mordechai 1.JPEG|thumb|250px|RMDL Gregory Johnson, Commander, Carrier Group 8, briefs Minister of Defense Yitzhak Mordechai during a tour of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier, 1997]]
In 1995 Mordechai joined [[Likud]] and was on the party's list for the [[1996 Israeli legislative election|elections]] the following year. After [[Binyamin Netanyahu]] won the [[1996 Israeli prime ministerial election|election for Prime Minister]], he appointed Mordechai as Defense Minister, where he became Lipkin-Shahak's boss.

In 1999, a public rift occurred between Mordechai and Netanyahu because of political rivalry and difference of opinion regarding the negotiations with Palestinians. Netanyahu dismissed Mordechai shortly before Mordechai would have reportedly resigned. On 23 February 1999 Mordechai left [[Likud]] along with several other members to establish the new [[Centre Party (Israel)|Israel in the Centre]] party.[https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionHistoryAll_eng.asp Mergers and Splits amongst Parliamentary Groups] Knesset website{{better source needed|date=February 2023}} However, despite strong initial poll results, the party fared badly in the [[1999 Israeli legislative election|1999 elections]], winning only six seats. Nevertheless, the party joined [[Ehud Barak]]'s new [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor]]-led government and Mordechai became Minister of Transport.

Mordechai resigned from his ministerial position in 2000 after being indicted for sexual misconduct. He resigned from the Knesset in 2001.

==Sexual assault convictions==
In March 2000, a secretary in Mordechai's office accused him of sexual harassment and assault. The 23-year-old employee, whose name was not released, alleged one instance where Mordechai reportedly pulled her onto a sofa in his office and put his hand under her blouse. Other women subsequently came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct. Police opened a probe into the sexual misconduct alleged by his secretary and two other women, one of whom accused him of assaulting her in 1996 when he was Defense Minister and another who alleged an incident in 1992 when he was head of the Northern Command. There were other allegations, but police did not probe them due to expiry of the [[statute of limitations]]. Mordechai's wife left him after the allegations surfaced and later divorced him. In April 2000, police recommended that he be charged with three counts of sexual assault. Mordechai was subsequently indicted and tried. In March 2001, he was convicted on two counts of sexual assault. The judges acquitted him of assaulting his secretary, whose allegations had prompted the investigation, over "inconsistencies" in her testimony, but stressed that this was not a repudiation of her claim.{{Cite web |date=2015-03-20 |title=Israel Politician Should Face Charges for 'debased Acts,' Cops Recommend |url=https://www.jta.org/archive/israel-politician-should-face-charges-for-debased-acts-cops-recommend |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Segal |first=Naomi |date=2001-03-21 |title=Yitzhak Mordechai guilty of sexual assault |url=https://www.jta.org/2001/03/21/lifestyle/yitzhak-mordechai-guilty-of-sexual-assault |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2015-03-20 |title=Israeli Cabinet Member is Accused of Sexually Harassing Female Worker |url=https://www.jta.org/archive/israeli-cabinet-member-is-accused-of-sexually-harassing-female-worker |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}} Mordechai received an 18-month suspended sentence.

== Awards and decorations ==
{|style="margin:1em auto;"
|[[File:Six day war ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:Hatasharibon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:Yomkippurribon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:Lebanon war ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:Medal of Courage.svg|105px]]
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|-
|{{center|[[Six-Day War]] Ribbon}}
|{{center|[[War of Attrition]] Ribbon}}
|{{center|[[Yom Kippur War]] Ribbon}}
|{{center|[[1982 Lebanon War|First Lebanon War]] Ribbon}}
|{{center|[[Medal of Courage]]}}
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of Israeli public officials convicted of crimes or misdemeanors]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*{{MKlink|id=87}}

{{IsraelSouthernCommandChiefs}}
{{IsraelCentralCommandChiefs}}
{{IsraelNorthernCommandChiefs}}
{{IsraelDefenseMin}}
{{Israeli Ministers of Transportation}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mordechai, Yitzhak}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Centre Party (Israel) politicians]]
[[Category:Iraqi emigrants to Israel]]
[[Category:Iraqi Jews]]
[[Category:Israeli generals]]
[[Category:Israeli government officials convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Kurdish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Israeli politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Jewish Israeli politicians]]
[[Category:Kurdish Jews]]
[[Category:Leaders of political parties in Israel]]
[[Category:Likud politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999)]]
[[Category:Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003)]]
[[Category:Ministers of defense of Israel]]
[[Category:Ministers of transport of Israel]]
[[Category:People from Nineveh Governorate]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of sex offences]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal of Courage]]
[[Category:Tel Aviv University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Haifa alumni]]
[[Category:People convicted of sexual assault]]
[[Category:People indicted for war crimes]]
[[Category:People acquitted of international crimes]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Kurdish descent]]