BEN-AMI, SHLOMO (1943–)

Israeli political figure. Born in 1943 in Morocco, Shlomo Ben-Ami emigrated to Israel in 1955. After earning degrees in history and literature, he became a professor at Tel Aviv University. In 1976 he became director of the Officers' Training College at the Israel Defense Force Military School. Between 1980 and 1982 he taught at Oxford University. After returning to Israel he was named, in 1987, Israel's ambassador to Spain. In October 1991, Ben-Ami was part of the Israeli delegation to the Middle East Peace Conference held in Madrid, Spain. He resigned his post as ambassador a short while later to return to Israel, where he taught history once more.

As a Labor Party candidate, Ben-Ami won a seat in the May 1996 elections to the Knesset. On 7 February 1997, he announced he would run against Ehud Barak for the position of secretary general of the party. Barak won. Within the Labor Party, Ben-Ami was considered one of the leaders of the moderate wing, approving the creation of a Palestinian state. On 7 July 1999, he joined the Barak government as minister for internal security. In May 2000 he engaged in secret conversations with Palestinian leaders in an effort to prepare for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that were to take place the following month at Camp David. On 10 August, as Barak's cabinet stood weakened by the resignation of a number of his ministers, Ben-Ami was appointed foreign minister for a period of three months, replacing David Levy, while still keeping his portfolio as minister for internal security. At the end of the same month, he began a European tour in connection with Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for a definitive peace.

On 26 September 2000, Ben-Ami participated in a secret meeting in Washington, D.C., with Palestinian leaders. Under the guidance of U.S. emissary Dennis Ross, this meeting lasted three days but failed to conclude in an agreement to restart the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. Ben-Ami resigned his ministerial functions in March 2001, after Barak was defeated by Likud leader Ariel Sharon.

SEE ALSO Barak, Ehud;Camp David II Summit;Israel Labor Party;Ross, Dennis B.