(1936- ) A Jewish Israeli political and military figure of Iraqi origin. Ben-Eliezer immigrated to Israel in 1949. A career officer in the military, he served as a commander in the Wars of 1967 and 1973 and the 1982 Lebanon War. He also served as Military Governor of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) from 1978-1981. Ben-Eliezer entered politics in 1984 as a member of the Labor party, serving in many ministerial positions until his resignation in January 2011. While Minister of Defense from 2001-2002, he was a strong proponent of Israel’s military offensive in the West Bank, including the Israeli army’s operation in the Jenin refugee camp (see Jenin Invasion). See “Benjamin Ben-Eliezer.” Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 17 June 2011. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/11/Benjamin%20Ben-El...  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/ben-eliezer-binyamin