Menachem Begin

Menachem Wolfovitch Begin (August 16, 1913-March 9, 1992) ( name in Hebrew: {{Audio|He-Menachem_Begin.ogg|??????? ???????}} ) became the 6th Prime Minister of Israel in May 1977. With the mediation of US President Jimmy Carter, Begin negotiated the Camp David Accords with President Sadat of Egypt, agreeing on the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from the Sinai Peninsula and its return to Egypt. Begin and Sadat were awarded the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for this implementation of "Land for peace".

Enters Israeli politics

In 1948 Begin founded the right-wing political party Herut ("Freedom"), which eventually became the much-larger Likud party. This was a move that countered the old Revisionist Party founded by his late mentor Vladimir Jabotinsky, but which had become a weak institution. Nevertheless, Revisionist "purists" alleged that Begin was out to steal Jabotinsky's mantle and ran against him with the old party. In the first elections 1949, Herut won 18 seats, while the Revisionist Party failed to break the threshold and disbanded shortly thereafter. This provided Begin with legitimacy as the leader of the Revisionist stream of Zionism.

Related Topics:
1948 - Political party - Herut - Likud - 1949

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Between 1948 and 1977, under Begin, it formed the main opposition to the dominant Labour party in the Knesset (Israel's parliament), and was often derided by Ben-Gurion who refused to either speak to or refer to Begin by name, but Begin took it all in stride. Begin was trained as a lawyer in Poland, and he preferred the formal suit and tie and the dry demeanor of a legislator to the more "Bolshevik" informality of Israel's socialists. He was confident that he would be vindicated with the passage of time.

Related Topics:
1948 - 1977 - Labour party - Knesset - Lawyer - Bolshevik

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In 1973, Begin agreed to a plan by Gen. Ariel Sharon (res.) to form a larger bloc of opposition parties from Herut, and partner with the Liberals, the Free Center Party, and other smaller groups. They came through with a tenuous alliance called the Likud ("Consolidation") that lasts to this day.

Related Topics:
Ariel Sharon - Likud

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