Binyamin Eliav (born Binyamin Lubotzky; 1909 in Riga – July 30, 1974 in Petah Tikva) was an Israeli politician, diplomat, author and editor. One of the founders of Betar, he was a close associate of revisionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky, but later became a member of the labour party, Mapai.[1]
Binyamin Lubotzky was born in Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire, and immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1925.[2]
His memoirs, Zikhronot min hayamin (Memories of the Right) describe his ideological shift to the left. According to the memoirs' editor Danny Rubinstein, Eliav could have been a rising star in Israeli politics, but failed due to his inability to deal with political intrigue.[3]
As a diplomat, he served as Israel's First Secretary in Buenos Aires and subsequently as Consul General in New York. He was also an editor of the Encyclopaedia Judaica.