Ezer Weizman, 7th President of Israel

	Ezer Weizman

Seventh President of the State of Israel 1993-2000

	 Ezer Weizman, an air force general, industrialist and politician, was elected Israel's seventh President by the Knesset (Israel's parliament) for a five-year term (commencing 13 May 1993). Born in Tel Aviv in 1924 and raised in Haifa, Weizman is the second president in his family, following in the footsteps of his uncle, Chaim Weizman, the renowned scientist and Zionist leader who was Israel's first President (1949-1952).

Weizman's extensive military career began when he joined Great Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II, serving in Egypt and India. After the war, he served in the Air Service, the predecessor of the Israel Air Force (IAF), and was one of the founders of the IAF when it was formed as an integral part of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 1949. In 1956 Weizman was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the IAF, and ten years later (1966) he became Head of the IDF Operations Branch and Deputy Chief-of-Staff responsible for the IAF. In this capacity he was the architect of Israel's decisive victory over Egypt's air force during the 1967 Six Day War. He retired from the IDF in 1969 after more than two decades of distinguished service in this country's defense.

Weizman's political career was launched in 1969 with his appointment as Minister of Transport for Gahal (the Likud party's predecessor) in Levi Eshkol's second national unity government. When Gahal left the government a year later, Weizman became Chairman of the Herut party's (a component of Gahal) Executive Committee (1971-72). In 1977 he ran the Likud's victorious election campaign for the Ninth Knesset.

A high point of Weizman's public service came during his tenure as Minister of Defense (1977-80) when he was instrumental in the process leading to the peace treaty with Egypt, fostering close personal relations with Egyptian leaders and playing a pivotal role in the Camp David negotiations. Differences of opinion with the government over ways and means of achieving peace in the region caused Weizman to resign his cabinet post in 1980. He was subsequently ousted from Herut. From 1980 to 1984, he was occupied mainly in business activities.

In 1984 Weizman founded a political party, Yahad, which ran on a dovish platform in the elections to the Eleventh Knesset, gaining three seats. In the national unity government formed after these elections, Weizman served as Minister without Portfolio and as a member of the inner cabinet. In 1985 he was apointed Coordinator of Arab Affairs, a position which enabled him to promote his long-time interest in assisting Israel's Arab sector. In the 1988 elections, he ran Labor's campaign and subsequently became Minister of Science and Development in the new national unity government, serving in this position until March 1990. In February 1992, Weizman resigned from the Knesset over what he regarded as lack of pogress in the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Ezer Weizman was re-elected to a second term in May 1998, and resigned from the Presidency in July 2000.

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