Farkash-Hacohen was elected to the Knesset in 2019 and became a member of the National Security Cabinet during the formation of Israel’s unity government in May 2020.
The Israel Ministry of Tourism appointed Orit Farkash-Hacohen as the new Tourism Minister. In this position, Farkash-Hacohen will be responsible for working with the Israeli government to propose a plan to revive both domestic and international tourism once the country is able to reopen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the skies open and travel resumes, come visit Jerusalem’s ancient streets and Tel Aviv’s beaches,” said Farkash-Hacohen. “The bible refers to Israel as ‘the land of milk and honey,’ but we offer that and much more, from the snow-capped Hermon Mountains through the running water in the Galilee to the Negev Desert’s amazing views. Together we can create a better, more secure and prosperous future.”
“We’re excited by the appointment of as our new Tourism Minister, Farkash-Hacohen, and are looking forward to working with her to design a plan that is going to allow international tourism to recover following the pandemic,” said Eyal Carlin, Israel Ministry of Tourism Commissioner for North America.
“We’ve already seen that travelers are eager to come back to Israel. Airlines are seeing it too and are investing in new routes. When we are able to open our skies again, we’ll have new nonstop international routes from Chicago as well as from New York’s JFK airport. There’s so much to see and discover in Israel, and we can’t wait to share it with travelers again soon.”
Farkash-Hacohen was elected to the Knesset in 2019 and became a member of the National Security Cabinet during the formation of Israel’s unity government in May 2020. In 2003, Minister Farkash-Hacohen served as the legal advisor to the Israel Public Utility Authority for Electricity and later was appointed as the first woman to serve as its chairperson and director-general, a position she held for five years (2011-2016). During her tenure as chairperson, she pushed for opening up Israel’s energy production market to competition and encouraged the creation of a renewable energy industry.