Benny Begin

Ze'ev Binyamin "Benny" Begin, (Hebrew: זאב בנימין "בני" בגין‎, born 1 March 1943) is an Israeli geologist and politician. A member of the Knesset for Likud. He is the son of former Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin.

Biography

Ze'ev Binyamin (Benny) Begin was born in Jerusalem to Aliza and Menachem Begin. He studied geology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After completing his undergraduate and graduate studies, he worked for the Geological Survey of Israel. He completed his doctorate in geology at Colorado State University in 1978.

Political career

First elected to the Knesset in 1988 as a Likud MK, Begin ran in the Likud primary in 1993 to succeed Yitzhak Shamir as party leader but was defeated by Benjamin Netanyahu. Under Netanyahu's government (1996–1999), Begin served as Science Minister until 1997 when he resigned in protest against the Hebron Agreement.

He subsequently led hardliners out of the Likud with the hope of reviving the Herut political party founded by his father. With full support from former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Herut – The National Movement departed from the Likud and joined other right-wing parties to form an alliance opposing the Oslo Accords, the National Union. Due to the National Union's poor showing in the 1999 elections, Begin resigned his seat and quit politics. In turn, Begin resumed his career in science and education, and was appointed Director of the Geological Survey of Israel.