Former Israeli foreign minister David Levy was buried in his hometown of Beit She’an on Monday, one day after passing away at the age of 86.
A longtime Likud Party politician who played a central role in the political emancipation of Jews with Mizrahi backgrounds, Levy was buried in the presence of government officials and Knesset members.
At the funeral in the northern city, Israeli President Isaac Herzog remembered Levy as an “example of Zionism, determination and love of Israel.”
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana also offered a eulogy. “With your sensitivity, your wisdom, your moderation and discretion, you climbed not only the achievements you built, but also into the hearts of the people,” Ohana said.
Levy was born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1937 and immigrated to Israel in his 20s. He worked in construction and got his start in politics as the chairman of the Likud faction in the Histadrut union in the mid-1960s.
He served in the Knesset from 1969 to 2006, holding the posts of foreign minister, deputy prime minister, housing and construction minister and immigration and absorption minister.
During his tenure as construction and housing minister in prime minister Menachem Begin’s first government (1977-1981), Levy sought to alleviate housing shortages in Jerusalem by incentivizing young couples to relocate to nascent communities in Judea and Samaria.
In 2018, Levy was awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement, the Jewish state’s highest civilian honor. The selection committee described him as “a social fighter for the weaker classes, a labor leader and representative of the development towns and the country’s outskirts.”
At the height of his career, Levy was a rival in the Likud to Israel’s current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, challenging him for the party leadership in 1993 primaries. Netanyahu received over 50% of the vote, while some 25% of Likud Party members chose Levy.
He also led the breakaway Gesher faction, which formed part of the government led by prime minister Ehud Barak between 1999 and 2001.
Netanyahu praised Levy after the news of his passing broke on Sunday, hailing the man who “paved his way in life with his own two hands.”
As foreign affairs minister, Levy “helped forge diplomatic ties with countries that had refrained from doing so during the Cold War. His visits to world capitals were characterized by pride at being a devoted representative of the State of Israel,” said Netanyahu in a statement.
“In the national sphere, he put his personal stamp on political life, while looking out for distressed weaker sectors,” the premier said. “We did not always agree on everything, but I always admired his sense of mission.”
Levy was a father of 12, including former Likud Knesset members Orly Levy and Jackie Levy. He lived in Beit She’an throughout his political career, commuting daily to Israel’s center.
The cause of Levy’s death was not disclosed. He had been hospitalized for heart ailments as recently as August 2023.
