Eliav, Arie

(Lova)

(1921- )

   Born in Moscow, he immigrated (see ALIYA) to Palestine with his parents in 1924. Eliav was educated at Herzliya High School in Tel Aviv. He served in the Hagana from 1936 to 1940 and from 1940 to 1945 with the British army. He served in the Israel Defense Forces during the War of Independence (1948—49). From 1958 to 1960, Eliav served as the first secretary in the Israeli embassy in Moscow. He served as the secretary general of the Israel Labor Party from 1969 until 1971. Following the Six-Day War (1967), Eliav became increasingly critical of the Labor Party, particularly its policies toward the Arab population. He eventually split from Labor and formed a leftist group called the Independent Socialists. In 1977, this party joined other leftist groups and formed the Shelli (Peace for Israel) Party. The party advocated the establishment of an Arab Palestinian state alongside Israel, Israel's withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, and negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization. After serving in the Knesset for 13 years, Eliav resigned in 1977. He rejoined the Israel Labor Party in 1986 and was elected to the Knesset in 1988 on the Alignment list. He received the Israel Prize in 1988. Eliav remains an active and respected elder statesman of Israel's peace movement.

   See also Political parties.