Jerusalem – Former Israeli Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer Dies At Age 80

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    FILE - Parliament member Fouad ben Eliezer of the Israeli labour party, seen during an interview at the "Alternativa" cafe, in Tel Aviv. April 02, 2014. Photo by Yaakov Naumi/FLASH90Jerusalem – Former defense minister and Knesset member Binyamin “Fuad” Ben-Eliezer died on Sunday afternoon at the age of 80, Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv announced.

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    Ben-Eliezer resigned from public service in December 2014 at 78 years old, ending decades as a public servant.

    Born in Iraq, Ben-Eliezer made aliya to Israel in 1950. He entered the Knesset in 1984 and held several portfolios during his political tenure.

    He served as defense minister during the second intifada in the government of former prime minister Ariel Sharon. At the time he also served as leader of the Labor party.

    A former IDF Brigadier-General, he served in the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War and was the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories from 1983-1984.

    In recent years, Ben-Eliezer had been embroiled in a legal scandal including charges of bribery, money laundering, fraud, breach of trust, and tax offenses.

    In February, he was arraigned by the Tel Aviv District Court, but was exempt from appearing at the hearing given his old age and poor health.

    Before the case against Ben-Eliezer broke in June 2014, he was expected to be a front-runner in the election that same month for the presidency.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences over the passing of the former Labor party chairman and defense minister.

    “Fuad served the State of Israel for decades, as a soldier, a commander, as a public servant who was a senior official in the government.”

    “I knew him and respected his contribution and special character. In several conversations with him, Fuad expressed his concerns and commitment to the future of the country that he loved deeply. May his memory be blessed.”

    Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) called Ben-Eliezer “a lone young man from Iraq, a brave warrior who finished his military service at the rank of brigadier general, and from there went on to an impressive political career.”

    “I had many discussions with Fuad recently about the cloud over the last years of his life, and he insisted he is innocent,” Herzog added.

    Meanwhile, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said: “Ben-Eliezer’s contribution to our country’s security was great, but beyond all the official titles, Fuad was always a person, in the full meaning of the word, with a constant smile and friendly smacks on the back that you felt long after he gave them. We will always remember him with respect and affection.”

    Former president Shimon Peres also expressed his sympathies over Ben-Eliezer’s death as various Israeli politicians, past and present, mourned his loss.

    “I remember Fuad as a courageous fighter and military commander, as a warm, loving person whose heart was planted deep in the soil of the country and the fate of its people,” he stated.

    Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein also paid tribute to Ben-Eliezer’s “priceless contribution to Israel and its security,” and sent condolences to his family in the Knesset’s name.

    “Fuad dedicated most and the best of his years to the strengthening the Jewish People in its homeland and was an important and dominant voice in our public life for many years,” Edelstein added.

    Liberman’s predecessor, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon, released a statement praising Ben-Eliezer’s years of public service Sunday afternoon, calling him “a man of the people” who “kept his door open at all times.”

    “Fuad’s battlefield leadership, composure, and initiative” we’re legendary “and was always known to be sensitive, attentive, warm and fatherly who kept his door open at all times,” said Ya’alon.

    “Faud, who immigrated to Israel as a young man who grew up in Iraq, became a symbol of integration when Israel was still a young country,” he added.


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    3 Comments
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    Erlich
    Erlich
    7 years ago

    Yehi Zichro Baruch.