Veteran Labor MK hospitalized

Labor MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, 78, was hospitalized on Thursday evening.

The former defense minister was taken to the Assaf HaRofeh Medical Center for treatment after complaining that he wasn’t feeling well. His condition was described as good.

Ben-Eliezer has been a fixture in Israeli politics for three decades, holding a number of ministries for the Labor party since entering politics in the 1980s

Ben-Eliezer was hospitalized for six weeks in 2011 after nearly dying from flu complications.

In June, the veteran MK dropped his bid for Israel’s presidency three days before the election, over allegations of financial impropriety.

A month later, police placed a temporary lien on his home.

The legal move was aimed at preventing Ben-Eliezer from selling the property in an effort to keep his assets beyond the reach of any future sequesters, the Haaretz daily reported.

In light of the police request, there were increasing indications that charges would be brought against the former defense minister.

According to the report, the beachfront property, located in Jaffa, was bought three years ago for NIS 9 million (a little over $2.5 million).

Investigators also suspect Ben-Eliezer received hundreds of thousands of shekels from a businessman while serving as a government minister, in return for which he helped secure business deals in Egypt through his many contacts there.