March 24, 1993
Ezer Weizman was born in 1924 in Tel Aviv. The nephew of Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, Ezer Weizman became an accomplished pilot, joined the Haganah in 1947 and became one of the founders of the Israeli Air Force. In 1958 he was appointed commander of the Israeli Air Force before becoming deputy chief of staff under Yitzhak Rabin in 1966.
After his retirement from the IDF in 1969, Weizman joined the Likud party and was instrumental in the party’s 1977 election victory, becoming defense minister in Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s government.
Along with Moshe Dayan, he was part of Israel’s delegation at the 1978 Camp David negotiations, developing a warm friendship with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. In May 1980 he resigned from the Cabinet over Likud resistance to efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinians, eventually starting his own left-of-center party. He spent the remainder of his career advocating for peace and assisting the Arab-Israeli sector.
The Knesset elects him president March 24, 1993, on a 66-53 vote. After being elected, Weizman remarks, “I hope that I will be able, via the efficient work of this government, to take part in the development of the peace process of the Middle East.”
He serves as president until resigning in July 2000. He dies in 2005.
