David Levy (Israeli politician)

David Levy
דוד לוי
Levy in 1969
Ministerial roles
1977–1981Minister of Immigrant Absorption
1979–1990Minister of Housing and Construction
1981–1992Deputy Prime Minister
1990–1992Minister of Foreign Affairs
1996–1998Deputy Prime Minister
1996–1998Minister of Foreign Affairs
1999–2000Deputy Prime Minister
1999–2000Minister of Foreign Affairs
2002Minister without Portfolio
Faction represented in the Knesset
1969–1974Gahal
1974–1996Likud
1996–1999Gesher
1999–2001One Israel
2001–2003Gesher
2003–2006Likud
Personal details
Born(1937-12-21)21 December 1937
Rabat, French Morocco
Died2 June 2024(2024-06-02) (aged 86)
Beit She'an, Israel[citation needed]
Children12
Signature

David Levy (Hebrew: דוד לוי; 21 December 1937 – 2 June 2024) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1969 and 2006. Levy's ascent to political prominence demonstrated the growing influence of Mizrahi Jews in Israel. He played a crucial role in changing the political power structure in Israel by motivating hundreds of thousands of Mizrahi voters to cast their ballots for Menachem Begin. To quote Benjamin Netanyahu, “David, born in Morocco, forged his way through life with his own two hands… On the national level, he made a personal mark on the political world, while taking care of weak populations that knew adversity.”[1]

He served Israel as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Minister of Housing and Construction, and as a Minister without Portfolio. Although most of his time as a Knesset member was spent with Likud, he also led the breakaway Gesher faction, which formed part of Ehud Barak's Labor-led government between 1999 and 2001.