Foreign Minister
Yitzhak Moda'i took which position from Aug 1981 to Oct 1982?
Yitzhak Modai Yitzhak Modai ( , 17 January 1926 – 22 May 1998 ) was an Israeli politician who served five terms in the Knesset for Likud and then the New Liberal Party over the course of a 20-year career . Biography . Yitzhak Madzovitch ( later Modai ) in Tel Aviv during the Mandate era . He attended high school in Tel Aviv and studied at the Technion in Haifa . He went on to study law at the Tel Aviv branch of Hebrew University of Jerusalem , and law and economics at the London School of Economics . His wife , Michal Harel ( née Herison ) , was Miss Israel , and then president of the Womens International Zionist Organization . They had three children . The eldest , Harela , was killed in a car accident when she was 22 . A prize is awarded annually at the Army Radio in her name . Their son , Boaz Modai , is a senior diplomat in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs , since October 2019 serving as Israels ambassador to Slovakia . Political career . In 1961 he joined the Liberal Party , and was a member of its directorate between 1965 and 1968 . From 1969 until 1973 he served as a member of Herzliyas municipal council . He was first elected to the Knesset on the Likud list ( the Liberal Party had become a faction within Likud , alongside Herut ) . He was re-elected in 1977 , and served as Minister of National Infrastructure in Menachem Begins first government , also holding the post of Minister of Communications between 15 January 1979 and 22 December 1980 . In Begins cabinet as Energy Minister , Modai was considered to be one of the hawkish hardliners . In December 1979 in his role as Energy Minister , Modai announced the Israeli governments intent to take over the Arab-run East Jerusalem Electric Company , which was viewed as one of the last existing symbols of Palestinian autonomy . The move , which appeared to have political motives in addition to the officially stated ones , brought immediate condemnation from Palestinian leaders . In May 1980 , cabinet post disagreements , including that of Modai , imperiled the government coalition . Begin nominated Modai for Foreign Minister , but the Democratic Movement protested that Modai was unqualified and six members would vote against it . Then the Liberals , who controlled 13 seats , said they would bring down the government , thereby forcing new elections , if Modai was not confirmed . Begin stalled a collapse by serving as his own defense minister . After being re-elected again in 1981 , he became a Minister without Portfolio , before returning to the Energy and Infrastructure post in October 1982 . Following the 1984 elections he became Minister of Finance . In 1985 he and Prime Minister Shimon Peres devised the economic stabilization plan that managed to curtail Israels hyperinflation of the early 1980s . Due to the plan , the Israeli economy averted total collapse and inflation was reduced from an annual rate of almost 450% to less than 20% in less than two years . This plan has become a model for other countries facing similar economic situations . During the dramatic and sometimes difficult process of economic stabilization , Modai became known for being brilliant , but was also perceived as volatile , autocratic and chronically obstreperous . On 16 April 1986 he switched to the Minister of Justice , before leaving the cabinet . In July 1986 Prime Minister Shimon Peres , the leader of the Labor Party , forced Modai to resign after Modai sharply criticized Peres . Modai , who was known for having a sharp tongue , had been heard on public radio saying he did not need to consult Peres because Peres doesnt understand law , just like he doesnt understand economics . In his role as Justice Minister , Modai was involved in handling a scandal , known as the Bus 300 affair involving Shin Bet . In announcing his forced resignation , Modai commented , The restraint demanded of me is too much for flesh and blood . Modai returned to the government as a Minister without Portfolio in November . Between 1984 and 1988 he also served as chairman of the Liberal Partys presidium . After the 1988 elections he was appointed Minister of Economics and Planning , before returning to the Finance portfolio in 1990 . On 15 March 1990 he and four other MKs ( all of them former members of the Liberal Party ) broke away from Likud to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea , later renamed the New Liberal Party ; however , the new party remained in the government and Modai became Finance Minister again in 1990 . The New Liberal Party failed to cross the electoral threshold in the 1992 elections and Modai lost his seat .