Ariel Kellner

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Ariel Kallner
Kallner in 2020
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019Likud
2020–2021Likud
2023–Likud
Personal details
Born (1980-07-05) 5 July 1980
Haifa, Israel

Ariel Kallner (Hebrew: אריאל קלנר; born 5 July 1980) is an Israeli politician. He has served as a member of the Knesset for Likud since 2023, having previously served between 2020 and 2021 and from April to September 2019.

Early life and education

Kallner was born into a secular family in Haifa on 5 July 1980,[1] the oldest of three brothers, and attended the Hebrew Reali School.

His national service in the Israel Defense Forces saw him serve as a combat medic in the Golani Brigade, during which time he became religious. He subsequently attended the Technion and earned an MBA at the University of Haifa.

Political career

Whilst at the Technion, he established the anti-disengagement movement known as the orange cell,[2] and was elected chair of the Likud Youth Movement in 2004.

In 2013 he established Hazon Leumi – The Center for Zionist Leadership, which set itself the goal of shaping the leadership of the next generation in a Jewish-Zionist-national spirit.[3]

Knesset career

Kallner was placed thirty-fourth on the Likud list in the April 2019 election,[4] and was elected to the Knesset after the party won 35 seats. In June 2019, Kallner and fellow Likud MK Michal Shir unsuccessfully sued to prevent Likud's merger with Kulanu.[5] Kallner went on to lose his seat in the September 2019 election after Likud was reduced to 31 seats.[6]

Kallner failed to regain his seat in the 2020 legislative election. However, re-entered the Knesset on 5 July 2020 to replace Tzipi Hotovely, who resigned her seat under the Norwegian Law following her appointment to the cabinet. In late July 2020, Kallner publicly opposed an effort to rename a street in Haifa in honor of Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum.[7] Placed thirty-third on the Likud list in the 2021 elections, he lost his seat as Likud was reduced to 30 seats.

He re-entered the Knesset in January 2023, replacing Haim Katz.[8] In February 2023, the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee held a committee hearing at Kallner's behest over alleged censorship of right-wing views on Israeli university campuses.[9] Following a clash in April 2023 in which Israeli forces killed a 15 year old Palestinian child in the Aqbat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho, West Bank, Kallner was quoted by CNN as saying "The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, belongs to us... I think that those who live here, the Arabs and so on, they can live here. But it's our land."[10] In May 2023 Kallner proposed a bill to institute a 65% tax on donations to non-governmental organizations (NGO) accused of "interfering in Israel's internal affairs."[11] Kallner was one of three Likud MKs, along with Dan Illouz and Amit Halevi to go up to the Temple Mount alongside MKs from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.[12]

In December 2025, Kallner introduced a bill to establish a "National State Committee of Inquiry" to examine the events of 7 October, 2023. He proposed this committee as an alternative to a State Committee of Inquiry, which the government and coalition had opposed. The proposal outlined a six-member body composed of three coalition representatives and three opposition representatives. Kallner stated that the commission would examine all branches of government, including the political, security, and judicial levels. The proposal drew significant criticism from opposition figures and bereaved families. . The "October Council", representing more than 1,500 bereaved families and survivors, described the proposal as a "political cover-up committee"[13]

Political views

Kallner has been described as a "hard-right member of Netanyahu's own Likud party" by The Times of Israel owing to his championing of a controversial bill that would have hindered the ability of NGOs to receive foreign funding.[14]

In the days following the October 7 attacks in the Gaza envelope, Kallner called for Israel to bring about a second Nakba.[15] In a post on social media platform X, Kallner advocated for a "Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of '48", calling for a "Nakba in Gaza and Nakba to anyone who dares to join."[16][17] He publicly supported and joined the initiatives of Uri Tzafon, a far-right movement advocating the settlement of Southern Lebanon.[18]

Personal life

Kallner is married with four children and lives in Haifa.

References

  1. "Knesset Member Ariel Kallner". Knesset. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. כוח דתי-לאומי Israel National News, 10 April 2019
  3. "מי אתה אריאל קלנר? ראיון עם הדור הבא של הנהגת הליכוד". Srugim (in Hebrew). Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. Likud list Central Elections Committee
  5. Hoffman, Gil (23 June 2019). "Likud court lets party run with Kahlon". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. Wootliff, Raoul (19 September 2019). "21st Knesset, we hardly knew ye. Meet the (almost identical) 22nd". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  7. "Israel city's bid to honour Egyptian diva stirs anger". Hürriyet Daily News. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  8. "Galit Distel Atbaryan, May Golan appointed ministers, swelling cabinet to 32". The Times of Israel. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  9. Kadari-Ovadia, Shira (1 February 2023). "Israeli Knesset Committee Holding Hearing at the Request of Right-wing Group on Alleged Silencing of Opinion on College Campuses". Haaretz. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  10. Shelley, Jo; Salman, Abeer (10 April 2023). "Palestinian teen killed, Israeli woman dies of wounds as West Bank violence simmers". CNN. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  11. Breuer, Eliav (28 May 2023). "Right-wing orgs. blame 'Deep State' as gov't shelves NGO tax law". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  12. Yerushalmi, Shalom (20 May 2023). "On the way up to the Temple Mount, Likud is becoming Otzma Yehudit". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  13. אטינגר, אמיר; אזולאי, מורן (14 December 2025). "6 חברים, 2 יו"רים - ונציגי משפחות: זה המתווה לעקיפת ועדת חקירה ממלכתית". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  14. Sharon, Jeremy (28 May 2023). "Why Netanyahu has put a halt to a handful of radical coalition measures – for now". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  15. Speri, Alice (9 October 2023). "Israel Responds to Hamas Crimes by Ordering Mass War Crimes in Gaza". The Intercept. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  16. Krauss, Joseph (13 October 2023). "In Israel's call for mass evacuation, Palestinians hear echoes of their original catastrophic exodus". AP News. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  17. "Israel's recent call for mass evacuation echoes catastrophic 1948 Palestinian exodus". PBS NewsHour. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  18. "URI TZAFON- FAR RIGHT MOVEMENT | Association of Accredited Public Policy Advocates to the European Union". www.aalep.eu. Retrieved 13 May 2026.