The Ministry of Foreign Affairs mourns the passing of former Foreign Minister David Levy.

David Levy was born in Rabat, Morocco and immigrated to Israel in 1957.

David Levy served as Israel’s Foreign Minister under Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir (1990-1992) and under Prime Minister Ehud Barak (1996-1998 and 1999-2000).

During his years in office, Minister Levy worked to strengthen the standing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, deepened the political ties with many countries in Africa, and worked to forge new ties with Eastern European countries after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz said, “In his many parliamentary roles, including as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Levy was a model of professionalism and integrity; he protected the interests of the State of Israel even when it was necessary to stand firm in the face of international political pressures.

The nation owes a great debt to David Levy, and he will be forever remembered as one of Israel’s leading statesmen.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in his eulogy:

“Together with alI citizens of Israel, I deeply mourn the passing of David Levy, of blessed memory – a dedicated public servant for decades, a minister and deputy prime minister.

David, who was born in Morocco, paved his way in life with his own two hands. In the local sphere, he contributed to the development of Beit She’an, which became a symbol for the growth of the development towns on the periphery.

In the national sphere, he put his personal stamp on political life, while looking out for distressed weaker sectors

As Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, David helped forge diplomatic ties with countries that had refrained from doing so during the Cold War. His visits to world capitals were characterized by pride at being a devoted representative of the State of Israel.

I cooperated with David in Likud governments, and with his children who – like him – successfully integrated into national politics.

We did not always agree on everything, but I always admired his sense of mission.

My wife Sara and I convey our condolences to the extended Levy family in the knowledge that David’s precious memory will be enshrined in hearts of our people for years and generations.”