Ehud Barak (Hebrew: About this sound אֶהוּד בָּרַק , born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011. He previously held the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Benjamin Netanyahu's second government from 2009 to 2013.He is the joint most highly decorated soldier in Israel's history, having taken part in many battles and combat missions.