Political advisor Arthur Finkelstein passed away

Former US presidential candidate consultant and the former clandestine advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netaynahu, Arthur Finkelstein, passed away at the age of 72 on Saturday at his home in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Finkelstein's family said he died after fighting lung cancer. Finkelstein served for decades as a strategic advisor to many Republican politicians in the United States and Israel, working mainly with conservative politicians.

In the 1996 elections, Finkelstein advised Netanyahu in hid campaign against then-Labor leader Shimon Peres, coined the slogan "Peres Will Divide Jerusalem" (Netanyahu ended up winning those elections). In the 1999 elections, Finkelstein again advised Netanyahu, who ended up losing then-Labor leader Ehud Barak. In 2001, he served as an adviser to Ariel Sharon, who ran against Ehud Barak and won. In 2006, Finkelstein served as advisor to Avigdor Lieberman and his party Yisrael Beytenu, which won 11 Knesset seats. In 2013 he served as a strategist for the Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu's united campaign.

Finkelstein revealed he was gay in 1996, and in 2005 he married his partner of 40 years in a civil ceremony in Massachusetts. He stated that he decided to join his partner in civil union to make sure they have all te rights as married couples do. Same-sex marriage was mage legal nationwide by former US president Barack Obama in June, 2015.