Binyamin Elon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Binyamin Elon
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| Ministerial roles | |
| 2001–2002 | Minister of Tourism |
| 2003–2004 | Minister of Tourism |
| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 1996–1999 | Moledet |
| 1999–2009 | National Union |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 November 1954 Jerusalem, Israel |
| Died | 5 May 2017 (aged 62) Jerusalem, Israel |
Rabbi Binyamin "Benny" Elon (Hebrew: בנימין אלון) was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician. He was born on November 10, 1954, and passed away on May 5, 2017. He served as a member of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) for the Moledet and National Union parties from 1996 to 2009.
Benny Elon was from Jerusalem, where his family had lived for many generations. He lived in Beit El, a community in the West Bank, for over twenty years. He was married to author and journalist Emuna Elon, and they had six children. His father, Menachem Elon, was a former Deputy Chief Justice of Israel. His brother, Rabbi Mordechai Elon, was also a well-known figure in the Religious Zionist Movement.
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Life and Political Career
Benny Elon was born in Jerusalem. He studied at Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva and Kollel HaIdra. A yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution. He became a rabbi in 1978. He also helped start the Beit Orot Talmudic College and became its first leader.
He was first elected to the Knesset in 1996. He was a member of the right-wing Moledet Party. He believed that Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip should be encouraged to move to other countries. In 1998, he led a group that took over a building in Sheikh Jarrah. This encouraged the government to support building communities there. In 1999, he tried again to take over a building in Sheikh Jarrah, but a court decided it belonged to the Abu Jibna family.
In 1999, his party joined with other right-wing parties to form the National Union party. After the leader of Moledet, Rehavam Ze'evi, passed away in 2001, Benny Elon became the new party chairman. He also became the Minister of Tourism. He served as Minister of Tourism twice: from 2001 to 2002, and again from 2003 to 2004. Both times, he served in Ariel Sharon's government.
During his second time as Minister, he tried to prevent Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from removing him from the government. This was because he planned to vote against a plan to remove Israeli communities from Gaza. He was re-elected to the Knesset in 2006. However, he did not run in the 2009 elections because of health problems.
His Ideas and Beliefs
Benny Elon strongly supported the continued building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He also wanted to rebuild the Israeli communities that had been removed from Gaza. He believed that the Land of Israel was given to the Jewish people by God, according to the Hebrew Bible. Because of this, he did not believe that Palestinians should have their own country in any part of this land.
He did not agree with the main peace efforts in the Middle East. Instead, he suggested his own plan called The Right Road to Peace, also known as the Elon Peace Plan. This plan suggested that Israel should take control of Gaza and the West Bank. It also suggested that Palestinians could move voluntarily to neighboring countries, especially Jordan.
Other Important Work
Benny Elon wrote a book called God's Covenant with Israel: Establishing Biblical Boundaries in Today's World (2005).
As Minister of Tourism, Benny Elon worked to connect with Christians around the world. He was the Chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus in the Israeli Parliament. This group helps build support for Israel among Christians. Benny Elon traveled a lot, meeting with politicians and faith leaders. In 2006, the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus was created in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The work of these groups led to the creation of 34 similar groups in other countries. In 2007, Rabbi Elon started the Israel Allies Foundation. This foundation helps support and educate these international groups that are friendly to Israel. He kept in close contact with many Christian leaders worldwide.
Later Life and Passing
In February 2006, Benny Elon was diagnosed with throat cancer. He received treatment, but the cancer was never fully cured. He retired from politics in 2008 due to his health issues. After battling the illness for eleven years, he passed away from cancer on May 5, 2017.
See also
- Beit Orot
