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Einat Wilf
Einat Wilf (Hebrew: עינת וילף, born 1970)[1]is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Independence and the Labor Party.[2][3] BiographyEinat Wilf was born in Jerusalem and raised in a Labor Zionist family. She studied at the Hebrew University High School in Western Jerusalem. She completed her military service as an Intelligence Officer in Unit 8200[4] with the rank of Lieutenant.[5] She then went to Harvard University, receiving a BA in government and fine arts, before earning an MBA from INSEAD in France, and subsequently a PhD in political science at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge. Wilf married German journalist and television personality Richard Gutjahr in 2007. She gave birth to their son in 2010.[6] Wilf describes herself as a Zionist, a feminist and an atheist.[7] Political and business careerWilf served as a Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres,[8] a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company[9] in New York City, and a General Partner with Koor Corporate Venture Capital in Israel. Upon her return to Israel, Wilf worked as a Senior Fellow with the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute and a weekly columnist for the daily newspaper Israel HaYom. Wilf also taught social entrepreneurship at Sapir College, as well as being a frequent guest on Israeli radio and television talk shows and a member of the President's Conference Steering Committee. In 2007, she ran for the presidency of the World Jewish Congress.[10] However, she withdrew before the actual vote, and Ronald Lauder was elected president. A member of the Israeli Labor Party, Wilf was placed 39th on the party's list for the 2003 elections, but failed to win a seat.[11] She won fourteenth place on the party's list for the 2009 Knesset elections. Although Labor won only 13 seats, Wilf entered the Knesset on 10 January 2010 as a replacement for Ophir Pines-Paz,[12] who had retired from politics.[13] However, in January 2011, she was one of five MKs to leave the party to establish the new Independence party under the leadership of Ehud Barak.[14] She lost her Knesset seat in January 2013 when the party chose not to contest the elections. In June 2024, she joined the Israeli Citizen Spokespersons' office and launched a new podcast titled, Deep Dive.[15] Political viewsWilf advocates the legalization of soft drugs, citing the argument that the existing circumstances contribute to elevated levels of criminal activity.[16][17] According to Wilf, the core of the Israel-Palestinian conflict is not primarily territorial, but revolves around the issue of Palestinian refugees. She claims that without addressing this matter, a resolution to the conflict remains elusive.[18] Wilf has consistently emphasized the imperative of taking action in the UN to dissolve UNRWA, contending that it perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem.[19] During Operation Protective Edge Wilf frequently engaged with the media, expressing concerns about UNRWA's nature, characterizing it not as a humanitarian organization but as a "hostile Palestinian organization that work to perpetuate the dream of return".[20] The War of ReturnIn the 2020 book The War of Return, Wilf and Adi Schwartz argue that the Palestinian right of return is not a right, but a thinly-veiled attempt for the destruction of Israel, and is the most salient reason there has not been peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Published works
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