Uzi was born in 1943 in Haifa.  His father, Haim, was a member of the Irgun and later served as a Member of Knesset of the Herut Movement. After serving in the army as a paratrooper, Uzi  began his academic career in which he attained a masters degree from the Technion and a phd from MIT in Massachusets. Dr. Landau entered the Knesset in 1984 as a member of Likud. In 2005, Uzi left the Likud Party in protest to the Disengagement from Gaza.  In 2008, Uzi joined Israel Beytenu.

Some of the highlights of Dr. Landau's politcial career are:

 - Knesset observer for the European Council

 -member of the Israel delegation to the Madrid Conference in 1991

 -member of the Committee for the Security Budget

 - Chair of the Foreign and Security Committee

 - Chair of the Committee for Governmental Oversight

 - minister for Internal Security 

 Below is a translation (by Beytenu candidate Danny Hershtal) of his letter of resignation from Likud:

Greetings friends and colleagues,

Today I am leaving the Likud which was my political home from the days of my youth, as a natural continuation of my membership in Beitar, the Herut movement and GaHaL. I have traversed this path with many of you, and our camp progressively grew. My loyalty was always to the idea. The movement and the party, as important as they were, were not as important as the idea. The party is simply a vehicle to advance an idea. To my dismay, in the past few years, too many people have used this vehicle in order to perpetuate alien ideas which do not coincide with the outlook of the Nationalist camp, and endanger the future of the Nation of Israel. Even after the vehicle was “repaired” through excising Kadima, which has no path and no ideology and is a paradigm of pure opportunism, there still remains in the Likud a gradual tendency of loss of identity, and it is not clear to me where the party is heading.

My deep feeling is that to serve the people of Israel as pest as possible, one has to take more definitive positions. To tell the public the truth. For instance, about the Golan, about the Jordan Valley, about the settlement enterprise, about dealing with the terrorism from Gaza at atime when, once again, rockets are exploding in Sderot. Immediately after these elections, Israel will be placed under tremendous diplomatic and political pressure. What will be required is a spirit of national honor, a definitive nationalist policy, steadfastness and tenacity. And we need now, quickly, to build the wall that will reinforce the Nationalist Camp, and through it, the State of Israel.

Yisrael Beytenu, the party which I am joining today, is the anchor of this camp. It is the wall. I disagree with some of the steps it has taken, but I do not forget for a moment that at the defining moments and events which influenced Israel, such as the “Roadmap” and the “Disengagement,” I found in Yisrael Beytenu’s representatives partners to my stance through there votes in the Knesset and the government more than with most of my colleagues in the Likud.

Before my eyes stands the defense of the Nationalist Camp and its success to lead the nation to a more secure future. I have no doubt in my heart that I can contribute to this more effectively from within Yisrael Beytenu.

I am not leaving my home. I am leaving the vehicle, to strengthen the home. The Nationalist Camp was and remains my home. I am confident that my true friends will understand this transition. Many will surely join with me. Israel requires a strong nationalist camp, which is its only hope for withstanding the challenges we will face.

I want to thank each and every one of you for the loyalty and support you have given me all along.

The Lord will give his nation Strength, the Lord will bless his nation with peace.

With all my heart,

Uzi Landau