Efraim 'Effi' Eitam (Hebrew: אפרים 'אפי' איתם), born on July 25, 1952, in Kibbutz Ein Gev, Israel, originally named Effi Fine, is the son of Gershon Fine and Esther Fine. Raised in a secular kibbutz environment, he later became religiously observant, studying at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva. He holds an M.A. in political science and an M.A. in international relations. Married with eight children, he resides in the Israeli settlement of Nov in the Golan Heights. Eitam had a 29-year career in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), drafted in 1971 and commissioned as an infantry officer in 1973. Key positions include platoon leader in the Golani Brigade's 12th Battalion during the Yom Kippur War (awarded Medal of Distinguished Service for heroism against Syrian tanks), Golani Brigade reconnaissance company leader during Operation Entebbe, officers' school battalion and brigade leader during the 1982 Lebanon War, Givati Brigade commander during the First Intifada, Golani Brigade commander in counter-guerrilla operations in southern Lebanon, and commander of the 91st (Galilee) Division (1997–1999). He retired as Brigadier General in December 2000. Eitam is a retired Israeli brigadier general, former politician, and expert in national security strategy. He entered politics as a leader of the National Religious Party (NRP), serving as Minister without Portfolio (2002-04-08 to 2002-09-18), Minister of National Infrastructure (2002-09-18 to 2003-03), and Minister of Housing and Construction (2003 to 2004-06-10). He was a Knesset member (2003–2009) for NRP (2003–2005), Renewed Religious National Zionist Party/Ahi (2005–2006), National Union (2006–2008), and Ahi (2008–2009), serving on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and security cabinet, and as a member of the Nagel Committee on Israel’s defense budget. He resigned from the government in 2004 to protest the Gaza disengagement plan and formed the Ahi party, which merged into Likud in 2009. Eitam has faced criticism for inflammatory statements on Arabs and Palestinians, including ordering troops during the First Intifada (1988) to 'beat and break the bones' of prisoner Ayyad Aqel (who died; reprimanded by Military Advocate General but promotion overruled), calling Israeli Arabs a 'cancer' and advocating killing Yasser Arafat and Marwan Barghouti (2002), stating 'We will have to kill them all... the ones with evil in their heads' (2004), advocating expulsion of most West Bank Arabs and removal of Israeli Arabs from the political system (2006; Attorney-General warned of charges), and calling for expelling Arab Knesset members (2008). In 2020, his nomination as Yad Vashem chair drew widespread opposition due to these views. Currently, he serves as chair of the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.