Menachem Begin

Menachem Begin (August 16, 1913 - March 9, 1992) -- leader of Jewish resistance group Etzel. After the founding of the state of Israel, he founded the Herut political party (later on called the Likud). He became the 6th Prime Minister of Israel in May 1977. Negotiated [Camp David Accords]? with Egpytian President [Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat]?. For this, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.

In 1982, in a widely criticized move, Begin's government invaded Lebanon because of the constant terrorist attacks over Israel's northern border. This began the Israeli-Lebanese war, which lasted until 1985 (when Israel retreated to a narrow strip of land in Northern Lebanon known as the Security Zone). Although Israel retreated from that land in 2000, the Lebanese terror organization Hizballah is still effectively in a state of war with Israel, and holds Israli prisonners.

Begin himself retired in August 1983, deeply disappointed and depressed by the war, his spouse's death and his own illness. He died in Jerusalem in 1992.

Links: [The Center for Begin's legacy (in Hebrew)]