Rechavam Ze'evy was born in Jerusalem in 1926.
After graduating from the Command and General Staff College of the U S Army, he served as a career officer in the IDF, reaching the rank of Major-General.
Rechavam Ze'evy served as Advisor to Prime Minister Rabin on Anti-Terror Matters and Intelligence from 1974-1977, and as Chairman of the Board of the Eretz-Israel Museum in Tel Aviv from 1981-1991.
He published many articles in the local press, and was the editor of 65 books published by the Ministry of Defense and the Eretz-Israel Museum, Tel Aviv.
Ze'evy was elected to the Knesset in 1988 as Chairman of the Moledet faction.
He served as a member of the Knesset House, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Education and Culture, and State Control Committees.
From February 1991 until Janaury 1992, Ze'evy served as Minister without Portfolio.
In May 1999, Rechavam Ze'evy was elected to the Knesset as Chairman of the National Union - Yisrael Beiteinu Party.
In March 2001, he was appointed Minister of Tourism. On October 15, 2001, he submitted his resignation, which was to enter into effect on October 17, after 48 hours, at 1:30 P.M.
Early that morning, Rechavam Ze'evy was murdered by Palestinian terrorists who shot him in the head at the Jerusalem Hyatt Hotel.
Rechavam Ze'evy was laid to rest in a state funeral with full military honors at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl Military Cemetery.