Prime Ministers in History: Menachem Begin

Begin was born in 1913 in the Russian Empire (now Belarus). His parents were passionate Zionists, and he grew to feel the same way about a Jewish state. He attended law school in Poland and became close with Ze’ev Jabotinsky, founder of Revisionist Zionism and Betar. Begin moved quickly through the ranks of Betar, becoming the the Poland/Czechoslovakia chair in 1937.

In 1939, at the time of the Nazi invasion, Begin escaped to the Soviet Union, where he was exiled to the gulags in Siberia. Upon his release Begin joined the Polish National army, and fought against the occupying forces there. He was released in 1942 and took a high ranking position in the Irgun, a nationalist military force that was later incorporated into the Israel Defense Forces.

In the Irgun, Begin was known for organizing against the British forces and using guerrilla tactics to fight the British army. The Irgun is well known for an attack on the King David Hotel in Jerusalem that killed many British soldiers, though the Irgun gave warning that the command post there would be blown up.

Begin’s Irgun joined forces with the Haganah (affiliated with Ben Gurion and the Mapai party) and the Lechi Brigade in 1948 for the War of Independence.

After Israel’s establishment was secured, Begin joined other high ranking Irgun officers to form the Herut (freedom) party, which later became Likud. Many outsiders said that the Herut party was fascist and equated the party to the Nazis. Begin was first made a Minister in 1967 when Herut (as a member of the Gahal bloc) joined in a national unity government. This agreement lasted until 1970.

In 1973, a plan by Ariel Sharon led to the formation of Likud, consisting of Herut, Gahal, the Free Center, and other small parties. Begin became the party chair and was elected Prime Minister in 1977 after 8 consecutive failures.

Begin’s era is best remembered for signing into a lasting (so far) peace with Egypt. Under the encouragement of Jimmy Carter, Begin and Anwar Sadat signed a peace treaty at Camp David in 1978 (for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize). He was also the Prime Minister when Operation Opera, the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, and the 1982 Lebanon Invasion. The Lebanese Invasion is still looked on as a very controversial and unpopular moment in Israel’s short history.

Begin retired from politics in 1983 and passed away nearly ten years later in 1992. He is burred on the Mount of Olives facing the Old City in Jerusalem. His namesakes include the Begin Heritage Center and the Begin Highway in Jerusalem.