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Binyamin Elon

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Binyamin Elon
Elon in 2008
Ministerial roles
2001–2002Minister of Tourism
2003–2004Minister of Tourism
Faction represented in theKnesset
1996–1999Moledet
1999–2009National Union
Personal details
Born(1954-11-10)10 November 1954
Jerusalem,Israel
Died5 May 2017(2017-05-05)(aged 62)
Jerusalem, Israel

RabbiBinyamin "Benny" Elon(Hebrew:בנימין אלון,10 November 1954 – 5 May 2017) was an IsraeliOrthodoxrabbi and politician who served as a member of theKnessetforMoledetand theNational Unionbetween 1996 and 2009. A ninth-generationJerusalemite,[citation needed]Elon lived inBeit El,anIsraeli settlementin 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.

Biography

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Born in Jerusalem, Elon studied atMercaz HaRavYeshiva, 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 in1996as a member of the right-wingMoledetParty, advocating "voluntary"transferof thePalestinianpopulation from theWest Bankand 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'eviin 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 planby 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 electionsdue to health issues.

Ideology

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Elon was a keen supporter of the continuation of theIsraeli settlemententerprise in theWest Bankand wanted to rebuild the Gaza settlements. He did not recognize a Palestinian right forself-determinationin any part ofEretz Israel( "Land of Israel" ), the area which he stated God gave to theJewsaccording 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"transferof thePalestinianpopulation to neighboring countries would occur, primarily with Jordan as the destination. Those who refused would become stateless.[8]

Additional work

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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 Caucusin 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 Caucuswas 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 Foundationto 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]

Death

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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]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Benny Elon, National UnionArchivedMay 22, 2011, at theWayback MachineYnetnews, 26 January 2005
  2. ^At the front of Israel's culture warBoston Globe, 22 March 2006
  3. ^Israeli expulsion idea gains steamChristian Science Monitor, 6 February 2002
  4. ^"The Sheikh Jarrah Affair:The Strategic Implications of Jewish Settlementin an Arab Neighborhood in East Jerusalem"(PDF).
  5. ^Rubinstein, Danny (September 29, 2003)."Saints, sinners and land ownership".Haaretz.com.RetrievedSeptember 10,2020.
  6. ^Sharon Fires 2 Cabinet Ministers On Eve of Vote on Gaza PlanNew York Times, 5 June 2004
  7. ^Benny Elon InterviewArchivedJune 21, 2006, at theWayback MachineThe Jerusalem Post, 15 July 2003 (republished by Gamla)
  8. ^Tristram, Claire (May 14, 2003)."Benny Elon's long, strange trip".Salon.RetrievedSeptember 10,2020.
  9. ^Fendel, Hillel (28 May 2017)."What Rabbi Benny Elon Did For Jerusalem".Jewish Press.Retrieved5 July2017.
  10. ^"Salon.com Politics | Benny Elon's long, strange trip".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-07.Retrieved2009-02-18.
  11. ^Q&A with National Union MK Binyamin ElonHaaretz, 2 March 2006
  12. ^"Former minister, scholar Rabbi Benny Elon dead at 62".Jewish Press.2017-05-05.Retrieved2017-05-05.
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