History of Menachem Begin

Menachem Begin was a pivotal figure in Israeli history, known for his passionate Zionism, leadership during crucial periods of Israeli statehood, and later, as a statesman who sought peace in the region. His life and career encapsulate many of the central struggles and achievements of the 20th-century Jewish people and the state of Israel.

Born on August 16, 1913, in Brest-Litovsk, which was then part of the Russian Empire and is now in Belarus, Begin was raised in a fervently Zionist household. His father was an ardent supporter of Theodor Herzl's vision of a Jewish state, a passion that deeply influenced Begin from an early age. In the interwar years, the Brest-Litovsk home became a hub for Jewish intellectuals and Zionists, immersing Begin in political activism from a young age.

Begin's formal political activism began with his involvement in Betar, the youth movement of the Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky. Through Betar, Begin advocated for a Jewish homeland on both sides of the Jordan River and emphasized the need for Jewish self-defense. These beliefs would continue to shape his political philosophy throughout his life.

As the horrors of World War II unfolded, Begin found himself in the Polish army. Following the Soviet invasion of Poland, he was arrested by the NKVD and sent to a Siberian labor camp in 1940. Released in 1941 as the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, Begin made his way to Palestine, then under British mandate.

Once in Palestine, Begin stepped into a leadership role within the Jewish paramilitary organization Irgun, becoming its commander in 1944. The Irgun was committed to driving the British out of Palestine, believing that Jewish independence was the only solution to the Jewish Question, particularly in light of the Holocaust's devastation. Under Begin, the Irgun carried out a series of campaigns that were highly controversial, including the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946, which housed the British administrative headquarters in Palestine.

With the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Begin’s role as a military leader transitioned into a political one as he founded the Herut party, a right-leaning political body that was the ideological heir of Jabotinsky's Revisionist Zionism. Although Begin's early political career was marked by relegation to the opposition; his views were considered too extreme in an Israel led by David Ben-Gurion and the leftist Mapai party.

The turning point in Begin's political career came decades later, as societal changes within Israel unfolded. By the 1970s, dissatisfaction with the status quo and the Labor governments’ handling of economic and military affairs, especially after the Yom Kippur War, led many Israelis to seek a new direction. In 1977, Begin’s political perseverance was rewarded when his party, now part of the broader Likud alliance, won a sweeping victory, making him the Prime Minister of Israel.

Begin's tenure as prime minister marked several fundamental shifts in Israeli policy, both domestically and internationally. Domestically, Begin sought to liberalize the economy and pursued extensive settlement policies in the occupied territories, reflecting his vision of Greater Israel. However, his most internationally notable achievement was seeking peace with neighboring Egypt.

The peace process with Egypt, which culminated in the Camp David Accords in 1978 and the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty in 1979, was a watershed moment. The accords were brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and involved difficult concessions by both sides. Begin agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, which Israel had captured during the Six-Day War in 1967, marking the first time an Arab country formally recognized Israel.

Despite such accomplishments, Begin's later years as Prime Minister were marred by controversy, particularly due to the Lebanon War in 1982. Begin authorized the invasion of Lebanon in an attempt to root out the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which had been launching attacks into Israel. The prolonged conflict and the Sabra and Shatila massacre, where Christian militias killed hundreds of Palestinian refugees under Israeli watch, resulted in widespread criticism and disillusionment within Israel and internationally.

Facing personal turmoil, including the loss of his beloved wife, Aliza, and mounting public disapproval, Begin retired from politics in 1983. His departure from public life was characteristically abrupt; he spent the remainder of his life in relative seclusion until his death in 1992.

Menachem Begin's legacy is multifaceted. He is remembered as a resolute leader whose steadfast principles often brought him into conflict with both domestic and international norms. Yet he was also a visionary who, arguably more than any other Israeli leader, demonstrated the capacity to transition from a hardline nationalist to a pragmatic peacemaker when the circumstances necessitated, leaving an indelible mark on the Israeli ethos and the broader Middle East peace process.