Former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Yaakov Peri announced on Wednesday that he will be joining the Kadima party.
Peri, who is now CEO of the Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank, will leave his position prior to joining the party.
Peri has been one of the most sought after individuals, as all major parties have tried to recruit him to their ranks. Peri said when announcing his decision to join Kadima that it is time to take a stand and stop “sitting on the fence” as he put it.
Although he has announced that he will join Kadima, Peri has yet to decide whether or not he will run for a seat on Kadima's list in the next elections to the Knesset.
Kadima Chair Tzipi Livni spoke on Wednesday with Peri, and told him that she welcomes his joining the party.
Livni described Peri as a man who has contributed greatly to Israeli society and to its security. She told him: “By joining you can contribute from your experience, your skills, and your proven abilities to change the face of Israel in the future. Together we will work based on the values and the way in which we believe. The very joining of a man of your stature is a message to every citizen that despair is not an option and that the road to change and to making Israel a proud country is by taking a stand and joining the action.”
Peri was appointed in April 1988 by then Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir to head the Shin Bet, a position which he held until 1995. As Shin Bet chief, Peri made organizational changes in response to changes in Israel’s security and political situations as a result of the first Intifada and later as a result of the Oslo Accords. After retiring from the Shin Bet, Peri entered the business world. He served as president of the cellular company Cellcom before joining Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank.