Dov Weissglass
| Dov Weissglass | |
|---|---|
 Weissglass in 1965 | |
| Born | 1946 (age 69–70) |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Occupation | lawyer and businessman |
| Known for | chief of staff to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon |
Dov Weissglass (Hebrew: דב ויסגלס; born 1946) is an Israeli lawyer and businessman who has been closely linked with the Middle East peace process, particularly under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.[1] As Sharon's office manager/bureau chief, he was the public face for Sharon during the 2004 withdrawal negotiations and the diplomatic delegate for negotiating with U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Weissglass' business firm, Weissglass-Almagor, invests heavily in both Israeli and Palestinian industry.
He has attracted criticism from the Israeli Left for many of his statements. In 2004 he remarked "The disengagement [strategy with Palestinian government] is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that's necessary so that there will not be a political process with the Palestinians."[2]
In reference to the Gaza blockade he is alleged by some political sources to have remarked in a private meeting, "The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger."[3][4] Weisglass has denied this report.[5]
References
- ↑ FrontPage Magazine
- ↑ Shavit, Ari Haaretz 10 August 2004
- ↑ Steel, M. The Independent 31 December 2008
- ↑ Urquhart, Conal. The Guardian 16 April 2006
- ↑ "Hamas sworn in – Israel to cut off funds". YNet. Retrieved 10 June 2010.