Ze'ev Binyamin (Benny) Begin (Hebrew: זאב בנימין "בני" בגין; born 1 March 1943), is an Israeli geologist and politician.
He was re-elected to the 13th Knesset in 1992, placed seventh on the Likud list, and continued to serve on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
The election campaign was intense, and in the end, Netanyahu won by a large margin (52%), followed by Levy (with 26% of the votes), Begin (with 16%), and Katsav (6%).
On 10 January 1997, despite his closeness to Roni Bar-On, Begin was the only minister to vote against his appointment as Attorney General of Israel, arguing that he was unfit for the position.
[12] After the approval of the Wye River Memorandum in October 1998,[13] Begin left Likud and established a new faction called Herut – The National Movement together with Michael Kleiner and David Ream.
[14] In the elections for the 15th Knesset (May 1999), "Herut" ran as part of a joint list called National Union with "Tekuma" and "Moledet."
[16] On 2 November 2008, Begin informed the Minister of National Infrastructures, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, that he was resigning from his position at the Geological Survey, following his decision to return to political life and run for a spot on the Likud list for the 18th Knesset.
In this role, Begin angered some right-wing supporters when, along with his friend, Minister Dan Meridor, he opposed bills he viewed as infringing on minority rights, imposing restrictions on left-wing organizations, and limiting freedom of speech.
[22] Begin abstained from voting on the Nation-State Bill, arguing that it "undermines the principle of equality and the Jewish State."
Begin attempted to promote an alternative version of the law, supported by the Yesh Atid party, which guaranteed equal rights for Israeli Arab citizens.
[29] Another son, Avinadav Begin, is an artist, author, and social activist, active in the struggle against the West Bank Barrier.
[30] He resides in the Yafe Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, where his father, Menachem Begin, also lived following his resignation as Prime Minister of Israel.