Veteran Israeli politician Binyamin Ben Eliezer dies aged 80

Binyamin Ben Eliezer died Sunday aged 80 after a long illness. One of the old-timers of Israel’s political scene, Ben Eliezer served in several governments as defense minister, deputy prime minister and Coordinator of Government operations in Palestinian areas. He was also a former leader of the opposition Labor Party..
Born in Basra, Iraq, he settled in Israel in 1950 and used his fluent Arabic to establish friendly ties with Arab leaders including the deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.