Binyamin Elon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 2001–2002 | Minister of Tourism |
| 2003–2004 | Minister of Tourism |
| Faction represented in theKnesset | |
| 1996–1999 | Moledet |
| 1999–2009 | National Union |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-11-10)10 November 1954 Jerusalem, Israel |
| Died | 5 May 2017(2017-05-05) (aged 62) Jerusalem, Israel |
RabbiBinyamin "Benny" Elon (Hebrew:בנימין אלון; 10 November 1954 – 5 May 2017) was an IsraeliOrthodox rabbi and politician who served as a member of theKnesset forMoledet and theNational Union between 1996 and 2009. A ninth-generationJerusalemite,[citation needed] Elon lived inBeit El, anIsraeli settlement in theWest Bank, for over twenty years, and was married to author and journalistEmuna Elon. They had six children. His father,Menachem Elon, was the former Deputy Chief Justice of Israel. His brother, disgraced RabbiMordechai Elon, has been a prominent controversial figure in theReligious Zionist Movement.
Born in Jerusalem, Elon studied atMercaz HaRav Yeshiva, and Kollel HaIdra in the Golan Heights, before being ordained as a rabbi in 1978. Together withHanan Porat, he founded the Beit Orot Talmudic College, and Elon became its first dean.[1][2]
He was first elected to the Knesset in1996 as a member of the right-wingMoledet Party, advocating "voluntary"transfer of thePalestinian population from theWest Bank and theGaza Strip, an ideology shared by Elon.[3] In 1998, he led a group of religious students in taking over a compound inSheikh Jarrah, which spurred the government to start subsidizing illegal settlements there. In 1999, he again tried to take over a compound in Sheikh Jarrah. His efforts were unsuccessful and a court ruled in favor of the Abu Jibna family who owned it.[4][5]
In 1999, the party allied with other right-wing parties to form the National Union party. Following the assassination of Moledet leaderRehavam Ze'evi in 2001, Elon was elected to replace him as party chairman and as Tourism Minister. He consequently served two terms asMinister of Tourism, between 2001 and 2002, and again between 2003 and 2004, both inAriel Sharon's government. During his second spell in the cabinet, Elon attempted to foil Ariel Sharon's plan to dismiss him from the cabinet for intending to vote against thedisengagement plan by going into hiding, claiming if he did not receive his dismissal in person within 48 hours of the cabinet meeting, then he would still be able to vote.[6][7] Ultimately, his dismissal was deemed legal, and he was not allowed to vote in the meeting. He was re-elected in2006, but did not run in the2009 elections due to health issues.
Elon was a keen supporter of the continuation of theIsraeli settlement enterprise in theWest Bank and wanted to rebuild the Gaza settlements. He did not recognize a Palestinian right forself-determination in any part ofEretz Israel ("Land of Israel"), the area which he stated God gave to theJews according to theHebrew Bible. As such, he rejected mainstream efforts for establishing peace in the Middle East (seeRoad map for peace). Instead, he suggested an alternative proposal calledThe Right Road to Peace, also known as theElon Peace Plan. The plan would have Israel annex Gaza and the West Bank Jordan a "voluntary"transfer of thePalestinian population to neighboring countries would occur, primarily with Jordan as the destination. Those who refused would become stateless.[8]
He was the author ofGod's Covenant with Israel: Establishing Biblical Boundaries in Today's World (2005).
As Minister of Tourism, Benny Elon reached out to the Christian world when Jewish–Christian relations were still very strained. He served as the Chairman of theKnesset Christian Allies Caucus in the Israeli Parliament, growing its influence and connections. Benny traveled extensively, meeting with Members of Parliament, Pastors, faith leaders, and House Representatives and Senators. In 2006, theCongressional Israel Allies Caucus was established in the U.S. House of Representatives which has been chaired by Vice PresidentMike Pence, former Rep.Dave Weldon, Rep.Eliot Engel, Rep.Trent Franks, and others. The work of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus and the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus led to the establishment of 34 additional caucuses in nations worldwide, and in 2007, Rabbi Elon founded theIsrael Allies Foundation to resource, educate, and encourage the pro-Israel initiatives of this international parliamentary network.[9]
Elon maintained close contacts with Christians worldwide, including radio personalityJanet Parshall, former House Majority LeaderTom DeLay, theChristian Coalition of America,Pat Robertson, Hungarian Pastor Sandor Nemeth, and others.[10]
In February 2006 Elon was diagnosed withthroat cancer.[11] He was treated, but it was never cured, and he retired in 2008 due to related health problems. After eleven years, he died from the condition on May 5, 2017.[12]
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