Abir Kara

Avraham "Abir" Kara (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם "אַבִּיר" קָארָה; born 27 October 1983)[1] is an Israeli businessman and politician who served as a member of the Knesset from 2021 to 2022. Initially representing Yamina, he broke away to form the Economic Freedom Party in September 2022. His new party failed to win a seat in the November 2022 elections.

Abir Kara
Faction represented in the Knesset
2021–2022Yamina
2022Economic Freedom
Personal details
Born (1983-10-27) 27 October 1983
Jerusalem, Israel

Business career

Kara used his bar mitzvah money to open a flower stall, later expanding the business to several branches.[2] After completing his military service in the Israel Defense Forces he opened a horse ranch, and later ran franchises of a waffle bar and a pizza restaurant.[2]

Political activism

In 2019 Kara and another restaurant owner established 'I am Shulman' group to protest what they felt was government discrimination against self-employed workers.[3] In less than a month its Facebook group had grown to 120,000 members.[2]

After declining to join Likud, claiming that groups including the Histadrut union held too much power over the party,[2] prior to the 2021 elections he joined Yamina and was placed seventh on its list.[1] He was elected to the Knesset as the party won seven seats and was appointed Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.[4] After Yamina joined the Zionist Spirit alliance, Kara announced that he would leave the party on 26 August 2022.[5]

Kara launched a new party on 4 September 2022 called the Economic Freedom Party, a libertarian party that focuses on expanding personal and economic freedom.[6] The party received just 0.33% of the vote in the 2022 elections,[7] resulting in Kara losing his seat.

Controversy

In 2006 Kara was sentenced to 240 hours of community service for swearing at a police officer when he was caught putting up illegal election signs.[2] He also admitted to uprooting olive trees owned by Palestinians.[8]

References
  1. בחירות 2021: חברי הכנסת ה-24 מטעם מפלגת ימינה Mako, 5 April 2021
  2. Israel Elections: Yamina candidate Abir Kara is ready to step up The Jerusalem Post, 18 February 2021
  3. Reform rabbi, Kahanist agitator, firebrand writer: The new Knesset’s 16 rookies The Times of Israel, 26 March 2021
  4. "חבר הכנסת אביר קארה" [Member of the Knesset Abir Kara]. Knesset.
  5. Liel, Dafna; Segal, Amit (26 August 2022). "אביר קארה לא יתמודד ב"רוח הציונית" - קרב גרסאות בינו לבין שקד" [Abir Kara won't run with 'Zionist Spirit' - Battle of versions between him and Shaked]. N12. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  6. Baruch, Hezki (4 September 2022). "Yamina MK launches new 'Economic Freedom Party'". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  7. Election results CEC
  8. Activist Who Joined Bennett's Party Had Admitted to Uprooting Palestinian Olive Trees Haaretz, 20 January 2021
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