(1961- ) A Jewish Israeli political figure. Prior to entering politics, Pines-Paz worked for the Jewish Agency from 1984-1993, overseeing the absorption of Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia and Russia. As a member of the Labor party, Pines-Paz was first elected to the Israeli parliament in 1996. He served as chairman of the One Israel political faction from 1999-2001 and then as Labor’s General Secretary from 2001-2003. Re-elected to the parliament in 2003, he served as Minister of the Interior from 2005-2006 and Minister of Science, Culture and Sport in 2006, resigning from that position in protest of the Yisrael Beiteinu party becoming part of the Labor coalition. Pines-Paz resigned from politics altogether in 2010. See “Ophir Pines-Paz.” Harvard University Institute of Politics. 3 October 2011. http://www.iop.harvard.edu/Programs/Fellows-Study-Groups/Former-Fellows/Ophir_Pines-Paz.  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/pines-paz-ophir