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Former Speaker of the Knesset
Profile
For over 20 years Avraham Burg has been a leading figure in Israeli politics. The youngest speaker ever in the history of the Israeli Knesset (1999-2003) and a staunch supporter of peace in the Middle East, Burg has been referred to as “one of the best speechmakers in politics.”
Ha’Aretz Magazine writes, “He has a unique, multilayered manner of speaking that evokes lofty musings on the ‘eternal Israel’ while simultaneously evincing a hard-nosed, here-and-now pragmatism.”
While defending Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and protect its citizens, Burg is a straightforward realist: "Whoever wants a full democracy with a Jewish majority cannot hold onto the entire land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, because it is a land that has people of another nation with different national aspirations.”
 I wish to thank [Avraham Burg] for his biting parliamentary spirit and the way he so jealously guarded the honor of the Knesset, improved its operation and elevated its |
| Shimon Peres |
One of Burg's most recent pro-peace initiatives was the Geneva Accords, a negotiated peace agreement among Israeli and Palestinian civic leaders. Had the Accord been approved by both governments, it would have resolved some of the thorniest issues of the conflict and paved the way towards ending decades of bloodshed.
In 2004 Burg published God is Back, which addresses some of the most critical issues pertaining to religion and society in Israel and the Middle East. The book immediately climbed to #1 on Israel's bestsellers list and will soon be available in English.
Despite having grown up at the heart of the religious Zionist movement (representing the West Bank settlers), Burg’s long record of activism pushed him to adopt a liberal, reconciliatory approach to the Middle East conflict: “All of my life I’ve been an activist of the peace camp... I’m ready to go a very long way to bring people together, from dialogue to acceptance and then compromise.”
After being wounded by a grenade in 1983 during a peace rally against the Lebanon war, Burg’s rage against the state of affairs convinced him to get involved and make a difference. By the mid-1980s, he was Shimon Peres’ advisor on Diaspora Affairs and in 1988 was elected to the Knesset. In 1995 he took over as head of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI). Under his leadership, he oversaw the immigration to Israel of over half-a-million Jews.
In 1999, at age 44, Burg was elected Speaker of the Knesset. In a bold move that captivated national and international audiences, he became the first Speaker to invite his Palestinian counterpart to address the Parliament.
Burg has written for such publications as The Guardian and the International Herald Tribune and has appeared on various television programs, including CNN's Crossfire and CBS's The Early Show.
Currently, Burg is leading a British-Israeli investment company in hopes of attracting funds to strengthen businesses in Israel.