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		</div><p>Binyamin Ben Eliezer, a veteran Israeli politician who held several top government posts and often served as a bridge to the Arab world, died on Sunday. He was 80.</p>
<p>Israeli media reported that he died at Tel Aviv&#8217;s Ichilov Hospital after a long illness.</p>
<p>Mr Ben Eliezer, known affectionately by his original Arabic first name, Fuad, was born in Basra, Iraq in 1936 and moved to Israel in 1950.</p>
<p>In this Jan. 30, 2002 file photo, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, right, shakes hands with Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer</p>
<p>He joined the Israeli military in 1954 and served as a commander in the Middle East wars that followed. He retired in 1984 with the rank of brigadier general and entered politics.</p>
<p>Mr Ben Eliezer was a prominent member of the dovish Labour party and served in senior ministerial positions including defence, trade and communications.</p>
<p>He held the defence post at a particularly difficult time, at the height of the second Palestinian intifadah, or uprising, in 2001 and 2002.</p>
<p>A native Arabic speaker, Mr Ben Eliezer was on friendly terms with deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and other Arab leaders and helped bridge gaps between Israel and the Arab world.</p>
<p>In Israel, he was known for his friendly demeanour, good relations with politicians across the spectrum and a reputation as a backroom negotiator. Last year, he was indicted for allegedly misusing funds.</p>
<p>Former president Shimon Peres, a long-time partner in the Labour Party, was among many Israeli leaders who expressed their sorrow over Mr Ben Eliezer&#8217;s death.</p>
<p>Mr Peres eulogised him in a statement, saying: &#8220;I will remember Fuad as a brave soldier and officer in the Israeli Defence forces and as a warm person who loved people, whose heart was planted deeply in the land of the country and in the fate of its people.&#8221;</p>
<p>Premier Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr Ben Eliezer for decades of service to the country and his &#8220;special character&#8221;.</p>
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