JERUSALEM: ISRAELI PRESIDENT EZER WEIZMAN LEAVES OFFICIAL RESIDENCE FOR LAST TIME AFTER RESIGNING FOLLOWING A FINANCE SCANDAL

Record ID: 400148

  • Title: JERUSALEM: ISRAELI PRESIDENT EZER WEIZMAN LEAVES OFFICIAL RESIDENCE FOR LAST TIME AFTER RESIGNING FOLLOWING A FINANCE SCANDAL
  • Date: 13th July 2000
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (JULY 13, 2000) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. ZOOM IN: ISRAELI PRESIDENT EZER WEIZMAN WALKING INTO THE HALL FOR A FAREWELL CEREMONY AT HIS OFFICIAL RESIDENCE 0.14 2. MV: WEIZMANS EMPLOYEES AT CEREMONY 0.19 3. SCU: WEIZMAN AND HIS WIFE REUMA AT CEREMONY 0.24 4. LV: CEREMONY FOR WEIZMAN 0.30 5. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) I
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JERUSALEM
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Reuters ID: LVAAQ2O6GA7SGH6RLO96ADTPC40C
  • Story Text: Israeli President Ezer Weizman has left his official
    residence for the last time. Weizman quit the presidency
    earlier in the week after a financial scandal. The Israeli
    parliament is set to elect a new president at the end of July.



    Israeli President Ezer Weizman vacated his official
    residence in Jerusalem on Thursday (July 13).

    Under pressure to resign over a money scandal, the
    76-year-old Weizman submitted his letter of resignation to the
    parliament speaker on Monday (July 10), three years before the
    end of his second term.

    Ailing in recent months, Weizman has taken many turns
    during his career. He began as a hawk and ended as a strong
    supporter of peace.

    "I am leaving with a feeling of content. Lots of torpedos
    were fired at me from all directions, but there is a saying in
    the American Navy that when there are torpedos, full speed
    ahead", Weizman said during a farewell ceremony for his staff.

    Known to many as the classic Israeli or Sabra -- prickly
    on the outside and soft on the inside -- Weizman's sharp
    tongue and straight-forward manner have landed him in
    controversy.

    Recently, Weizman was investigated by police who suspected
    he had improperly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars
    from French millionaire Edouard Saroussi while a member of
    parliament and a minister from 1988 to 1993.

    He was not indicted, partly because the statute of
    limitations had expired. But the incident brought down his
    approval ratings, which had hit highs of 70 percent, and led
    him to launch a battle against calls for his resignation.

    ik/sog

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