Weizman, Ezer (1924-2005), an Israeli political and military leader, was president of Israel from 1993 to 2000. His role as president was largely ceremonial, and he played a limited role in Israeli politics. Weizman’s political views changed during the course of his political career. He initially favored the anti-Arab policies of Israel’s right-wing parties, supporting the Likud bloc in its election victory in 1977. After he took part in Israel’s peace negotiations with Egypt in the late 1970’s, however, Weizman supported increased relations with the Arab states. He supported more open Israeli-Arab relations through the rest of his political career.
Weizman was born on June 15, 1924, in Tel Aviv. He was the nephew of Chaim Weizmann, one of the architects of the modern Zionist movement and the first president of Israel (see Weizmann, Chaim). At the age of 18, Ezer Weizman joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and served in Egypt, which was under the control of the United Kingdom at that time. He became a fighter pilot and served in India in World War II (1939-1945). During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Weizman was a member of the Israeli Air Force (IAF). He became head of the IAF in 1958 and continued in the service until 1966. In that year, he became deputy to Yitzhak Rabin, the chief of staff of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), who later became prime minister. In the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Weizman organized a strike by Israeli fighters against the Egyptian air force on the ground. The strike allowed Israel to win a rapid and decisive victory over the Arab forces.
In 1969, Weizman resigned from the military and entered politics. He held the posts of minister of transportation in 1969 and 1970 and minister of defense from 1977 to 1980. He resigned from the government in 1980 and worked in private business until he returned to politics in 1984 as a Labor Party minister. He was minister of communications from 1984 to 1988 and minister of science from 1988 to 1992. He resigned in 1992 over charges that he had had secret, unauthorized meetings with a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a political body that represents the Palestinian people.
In 1993, Weizman was elected president by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). He was reelected in 1998 to a five-year term. In January 2000, Israeli police launched an investigation into allegations that Weizman illegally accepted cash gifts while serving as president. The Israeli attorney general found that Weizman acted improperly, but no charges were filed. Weizman resigned as president in July 2000. Weizman died on April 24, 2005.
See also Arab-Israeli conflict.
