Born in
Kfar Saba, after completing his
national service, Simhon studied for a BA in social work, and became a social worker. He lives in
Even Menachem, a
moshav in the
western Galilee, and was secretary general of the
Moshavim Movement. He has also chaired the Social Department of the Moshavim Movement, the Youth Department of the Moshavim Movement (for which he was also secretary) and was secretary general of
HaMerkaz HaHakla'i. Simhon was first elected to the Knesset in the
1996 elections. He retained his seat in the
1999 elections, and was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in
Ariel Sharon's
national unity government as well as serving as chairman of the Finance Committee. He served in the cabinet again during the
16th Knesset after Labour joined the government, this time as
Minister of the Environment. In 2006 there was an investigation into whether he had received personal favours from an airline company, though he denied the claim. After retaining his seat in the
2006 elections he was reappointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. He retained his seat again in the
2009 elections, having been placed twelfth on the Labor list. In January 2011 he was one of five members to leave Labor to establish
Independence, and was appointed
Industry, Trade and Labour Minister, replacing
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. On 18 January he was also appointed
Minister of Minorities. During his tenure as the Trade and Labor Minister, the ministry passed a law requiring retailers to clearly display food items whose price is regulated by the government. The ministry, following the initiative of
Eitan Cabel, also made it easier for consumers to return items they purchased and get their money back. He lost his Knesset seat in 2013 after Independence chose not to contest the
elections. ==References==