Black Notebook: Death of former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister David Levy

Former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister David Levy, a central figure in Israeli political life, died on Sunday at the age of 86, official sources announced.

“David Levy will remain in Israeli history as a symbol of national unity and social action who left his mark on society and the State of Israel,” President Isaac Herzog said in a statement.

Born in Morocco in 1937, David Levy, who arrived in Israel in 1959, established himself in the country’s political life in the early 1970s as a union leader, then as a member of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, from 1969, where he served for 36 years.

This former construction worker, great defender of the cause of Jews from North Africa who claimed to be victims of discrimination, quickly became an essential personality.

Appointed minister in 1977, he was successively minister of integration, labor, housing and foreign affairs, while serving as deputy prime minister until 1992.

Rival of Netanyahu

Rival of Benjamin Netanyahu, he ran against the current Prime Minister at the head of Likud in 1992 but came second in the primaries of the large right-wing party.

Benjamin Netanyahu issued a message of condolences, saying he mourned “deeply with all Israeli citizens the passing of David Levy, a dedicated public servant for decades.”

“I worked with David in the Likud governments (…) we did not always agree on everything but I admired his sense of mission,” added Mr. Netanyahu.

In 1995, he created his party, Gesher (bridge), and joined the governments of Netanyahu and then Ehud Barak in 1999, returning to his post as deputy prime minister between 1996 and 2001.

Unanimous tribute

Expected to be president after his political retirement, he did not run and received, in 2018, the prestigious Israel Prize for his contribution to society and the State of Israel.

Father of 12 children, two of whom were deputies, he lived most of his life in Beit Shean, a small town in northern Israel, which he had helped to make known.

The Israeli political class unanimously paid tribute to him on Sunday evening.

ATS