Binyamin Elon
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| Binyamin Elon | |
|---|---|
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| Date of birth | 10 November 1954 |
| Knesset(s) | 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th (current) |
| Party | Moledet (part of the National Union) |
| Gov't roles (current in bold) |
Minister of Tourism |
Rabbi Binyamin "Benny" Elon (Hebrew: בנימין אלון, born 10 November 1954) is an Israeli politician, a Member of the Knesset and chairman of the right-wing National Union, within which he is a member of the Moledet faction. A ninth-generation Jerusalemite, Elon has lived in Beit El, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank for the last twenty years. His father Menachem Elon was the former Deputy Chief Justice of Israel and his brother, Rabbi Mordechai Elon, is a prominent figure in the Religious Zionist Movement.
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[edit] Background
Before becoming a Member of the Knesset he founded, along with Hanan Porat, the Talmudic College Beit Orot and became the first dean. [1][2]
In February 2006 Elon was diagnosed with throat cancer. [3]
[edit] Knesset
Elon was first elected to the Knesset in 1996 as member of the right-wing Moledet party, which advocates voluntary transfer of Palestinian population from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, an ideology which has been widely denounced in Israel. In 1999, the party allied with other right-wing parties to form the National Union party. Following the assassination of Moledet leader Rehavam Zeevi in 2001, Elon was elected to replace him as party chairman and as Tourism Minister. He consequently served two terms as Minister of Tourism, between 2001-2002 and again between 2003-2004, both in Ariel Sharon's government.
[edit] Ideology
Elon is a keen supporter of the continuation of the Israeli settlement enterprise in the West Bank and return to Gush Katif, and does not recognize a Palestinian right for self determination in any part of the Land of Israel. As such, he rejects the efforts for establishing peace in the Middle East as viewed by the mainstream (see Road map for peace). Instead, he suggests an alternative proposal called The Right Road to Peace, centered on motivating the emigration of West Bank and Gaza Arabs, also known as the Elon Peace Plan.
During the 16th Knesset, Elon gained notoriety for his attempt to foil Ariel Sharon's plan to dismiss him from the cabinet [4] for intending to vote against the disengagement plan.[5] Elon went into hiding, claiming that if he did not receive his dismissal in person within 48 hours of the cabinet meeting, then he would still be able to vote. Ultimately his dismissal was deemed legal, and he was not allowed to vote in the meeting.
Elon has been an advocate for "transfer" [6] as a solution for the demographic issues posed by the Arab population.
[edit] Additional Work
He is the author of God's Covenant with Israel: Establishing Biblical Boundaries in Today's World (2005).
[edit] References
- ^ Benny Elon, National Union Ynetnews, 26 January 2005
- ^ At the front of Israel's culture war Boston Globe, 22 March 2006
- ^ Q&A with National Union MK Binyamin Elon Haaretz, 2 March 2006
- ^ Sharon Fires 2 Cabinet Ministers On Eve of Vote on Gaza Plan New York Times, 5 June, 2004
- ^ Benny Elon Interview Jerusalem Post, 15 July 2003 (republished by Gamla)
- ^ Israeli expulsion idea gains steam Christian Science Monitor, 6 February 2002
