BICOM

The funeral of Israel’s former Defence Minister and one-time Labour Party leader Binyamin Ben-Eliezer will take place today, following his death on Sunday aged 80.

Known affectionately in Israel by his childhood nickname “Fuad,” Ben-Eliezer was born in Basra, Iraq but left along with much of the Jewish community there in the late 1930s, arriving alone in Israel as a teenager. He enjoyed a long and distinguished 30-year military career, serving as commander of the Judea and Samaria region and as Coordinator of Government Policy in the Territories.

Ben-Eliezer retired from the military and was elected as a Labour Party Knesset member in 1984. He subsequently held numerous ministerial positions, including housing, infrastructure, communications, industry and trade. However, his greatest challenge was possibly as Defence Minister in Ariel Sharon’s government during 2001-2002, during the opening years of extreme violence during the Second Intifada. Ben-Eliezer also briefly served as Labour Party leader in 2001.

He was considered to be a vital intermediary with Egypt’s former-President Hosni Mubarak and more widely as an important bridge towards the leadership of the Arab world. In 2014, Ben-Eliezer was the Labour Party’s candidate for Israel’s presidency. However, he was forced to withdraw his candidacy following allegations of corruption. A police investigation followed which clouded the remaining years of his life.

Persistent ill-health meant that the investigation was never completed. Ben-Eliezer had been in hospital for the past two weeks, but his condition fatally worsened on Sunday. He will be buried today and leaves behind a wife and five children.

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin described Ben-Eliezer as “a man with many accomplishments who devoted the best of his years to Israel’s defence… a devoted servant to the people and the country”.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Fuad served the state of Israel for decades as a fighter, a commander, a public servant and a senior government minister. I knew him and I appreciated his contribution and his special personality. May his memory be blessed.”