Fifth President of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Yitzhak Navon, passed away in Israel at the age of 94, on 06 November 2015. Navon served as the President of the State of Israel from 1978 until 1983. He was the first Israeli President to visit Egypt after the Peace Accord was signed between the two countries.
Navon served as a member of Knesset (Israeli Parliament) from 1965-1978. During his service in the Knesset, he served as Temporary Speaker, as Deputy Speaker and as Chairman of the Foreign and Defense Committee. He also served as Chairman of the Zionist Executive Committee.
Navon won tremendous personal popularity touring the country and worked tirelessly to build bridges between the ethnic groups in Israel.
After retiring as the President, Navon returned to political life and served as a Knesset Member. He also served as the Deputy Prime Minister and as Minister of Education. As Minister of Education he initiated the "Culture Basket" Endeavor, strengthening the study of Arabic and the teaching of Eastern Jewish heritage and acted to emphasize democratic values and Jewish-Arabic co-existence.
Apart from his political life, Navon is a successful writer and playwright. He wrote a number of works dealing with Sephardic heritage. He won great acclaim among the general audience and won “Kinor David” prize for his work on “Sephardic Bustan”. He also wrote many stories dealing with Jerusalemite folklore.
A book of condolence is kept open for public at the Embassy of Israel, Kathmandu, in memory of Yitzhak Navon on Tuesday, 10 November 2015.