(Ha'aretz) Ran Reznick, David Ratner, and Jonathan Lis - Ezer Weizman, the nephew of Chaim Weizmann, Israel's first president, volunteered to serve in Great Britain's Royal Air Force at age 18 in the midst of World War II, and later became one of the founding officers and pilots of the Israel Air Force during the 1948 War of Independence. Weizman served as commander of the IAF for eight years, during which he laid the groundwork for a modern air force. In the late 1970s he was in close contact with Egyptians ahead of the peace treaty between the two states and served as defense minister in Menahem Begin's government. Weizman served as Israel's seventh president from 1993-2000. "His charm and uniqueness lay in the fact that he was not diplomatic. He tailored the president's suit to his dimensions as a straight-talking sabra who doesn't tone down what he thinks," said Finance Minister Netanyahu.
2005-04-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive