Knesset Elects Ezer Weizman As Israel’s Seventh President

The election this week of Ezer Weizman to be Israel’s seventh president is being seen here as a much-needed victory for the beleaguered Labor Party.

Weizman, 68, a national war hero and former defense minister known for his outspoken individualism, was elected by the Knesset on Wednesday in a 66-53 vote with one abstention.

But his victory over Likud Knesset member Dov Shilansky came only on a second ballot after an invalidated first ballot, in which more votes were cast than the number of Knesset members.

While Israel’s presidency is a largely symbolic office, the victory is seen as important for the Labor Party, which has come under intense criticism for its inability to curb an unrelenting wave of Arab violence.

Although Weizman was favored to win, tension was injected into the race after the Knesset voted last week to lift the immunity of Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Raphael Pinhasi of the fervently Orthodox Shas party.

Shas party leaders had threatened to punish Labor for voting against Pinhasi by voting against Labor’s presidential candidate.

Upon learning the outcome of the vote, Weizmar said he called Shilansky “to congratulate him for the way he fought the battle, and he fought it to the bitter end.”

The Likud also sent a message of congratulations to Weizman, a sharp contrast to the bitter denunciations it issued when Weizman’s candidacy was announced in January.

At the time, Likud labeled Weizman as a “superdove” who was willing to see Israel take unacceptable risks for peace.

The president-elect said he did not want an elaborate celebration of victory because of “the situation in Israel today.” He was referring to the wave of violence that has engulfed this country in recent weeks.

Weizman refused to comment on the peace process and other policy matters until he takes office in May.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM EGYPT

Born in Tel Aviv, Weizman was a fighter pilot for the British during World War II.

He then helped found the Israeli air force, flew against Egyptian forces in Israel’s War for Independence and served as commander of the air force from 1958 to 1966.

Weizman later entered politics on the right of the political spectrum under Menachem Begin, the late Likud prime minister.

In 1977, Weizman managed Likud’s election campaign and led Begin and his party to victory, ending Labor’s 29-year reign. His reward was the post of defense minister, in which he played a major role in the peace process with Egypt.

Egypt’s ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Basyouni, warmly congratulated Weizman on Wednesday, saying he is well-known as the “architect of the peace process between Egypt and Israel.”

“I think he will also be helpful in achieving a comprehensive peace in our area,” Basyouni added.

But it was sharp differences with Begin over the peace process that prompted Weizman to resign from his post in 1980. He left the Likud and later formed the short-lived Yachad faction, which later merged with Labor.

Since his association with Begin, Weizman has moved decisively leftward politically.

Weizman has called for negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization, the establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories and the withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

In 1990, Weizman was accused by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir of having illegal contacts with the PLO. Shamir tried, without success, to oust him from the Cabinet.

In February 1992, Weizman announced he was quitting politics, saying, “I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve reached a point in my political life where I’ve contributed what I can.”

At the time, Weizman was said to be disillusioned with the Labor Party and still grieving over the death of his son, Shaul, in a car accident the year before. The death was considered a particular tragedy because Shaul had survived serious injuries in the 1969-1970 War of Attrition along the Suez Canal.

Weizman comes from one of the most illustrious Jewish families of the pre-state Palestinian yishuv. His uncle was the Zionist statesman Chaim Weizmann, who became Israel’s first president.