David McIlveen

David McIlveen (born 11 February 1981) was a Democratic Unionist Party politician in Northern Ireland who was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the North Antrim constituency in 2011.[1] The constituency has since been abolished.

David McIlveen
Member of the Legislative Assembly for North Antrim
In office May 2011 – May 2016
Preceded by	Ian Paisley
Succeeded by	Phillip Logan
Personal details
Born	(1981-02-11) 11 February 1981
Nationality	British
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party

He is the son of Rev. David McIlveen, a well-known minister in the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster[2]

McIlveen has a keen interest in conflict studies with particular interest in The Middle East. After welcoming the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, he made remarks to The Newsletter claiming Palestinian prisoners were much better treated than Israelis who were snatched at the border by Hamas and given no rights afforded to them in relation to inspections from The Red Cross.[3] Timothy Houston of Queen's University Belfast's Palestine Solidarity Society published an open letter accusing McIlveen of bias and over-looking human rights abuses.[4] David McIlveen claims "close ties with Israel" following boyhood visits with his father, and has visited the region both personally and with political delegations on numerous occasions.[5]

From August 2015-May 2017, he was a Political Member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.[6]

David McIlveen did not campaign publicly with his party for the 2016 Brexit referendum and described himself as a reformist rather than leave supporter.

Since leaving politics in 2017 McIlveen has returned to private sector and runs various companies mainly aligned to the property sector. He now resides outside of Northern Ireland.

References

1. Mary Minihan (7 May 2011). "McGuinness irked by Mid-Ulster delay". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
2. "David McIlveen DUP North Antrim". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
3. "MLA's relief over Shalit's safe release". The NewsLetter. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
4. Houston, Timothy (3 March 2012). "DUPlicitous propaganda: An open letter to David McIlveen DUP ..." QUB Palestinian Society/Politics.ie. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
5. McIlveen, David. "Israel - The Story So Far". Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
6. "The Board". Retrieved 22 August 2015.

Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by Ian Paisley	MLA for North Antrim 2011–2016	Succeeded by Phillip Logan