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6 KiB
Markdown
52 lines
No EOL
6 KiB
Markdown
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category: "Key Figures"
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tags:
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- Person
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- Nuclear
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- Israel
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summary: "Peres's rise to influence began in late 1953, when David Ben-Gurion appointed the then thirty-year-old Shimon Peres as director general of the ministry of defense."
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born: 1923-08-02
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died: 2016-09-28
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location: "Wiszniew, Poland"
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---
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[[Shimon Peres]] was a prominent [[Israel|Israeli]] politician who served as Defense Minister and later as Prime Minister. He was a key figure in Israel's political and military landscape for decades, playing particularly significant roles in the country's nuclear program and various covert operations.[^1]
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### Early Career and Nuclear Program Leadership
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Peres's rise to influence began in late 1953, when [[David Ben-Gurion]] appointed the then thirty-year-old Shimon Peres as director general of the ministry of defense. In this pivotal role, Peres, alongside [[Ernst David Bergmann]], became instrumental in driving Israel's nuclear weapons program, which was publicly presented as research for peaceful purposes. Recognizing the financial challenges of such an ambitious undertaking, Peres, Ben-Gurion, and Bergmann sought private financing from wealthy American and European Jews to fund this secret endeavor.[^2]
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As the architect of Israel's nuclear ambitions, Peres was effectively the father of Israel's nuclear program in the mid-1950s. Working under David Ben-Gurion, he believed that Israel needed nuclear weapons as a deterrent against [[Arab countries]]. Understanding the technical requirements, Peres knew that no plutonium weapon could be made without a reprocessing plant, and that its construction was impossible without French commitment.[^2]
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Peres also insisted on the creation of a new intelligence agency, initially known as the Office of Special Tasks, to provide security for the burgeoning nuclear operation at [[Dimona]]. This office, handpicked by Peres and led by [[Binyamin Blumberg]], was bureaucratically placed inside the defense ministry and would later become known as [[LAKAM]].[^3]
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### International Nuclear Partnerships
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Peres's diplomatic efforts proved crucial in securing international support for Israel's nuclear program. He traveled to [[France]] to secure assistance for Israel's nuclear ambitions, and in 1956, he flew to France to secure a weapons-grade nuclear reactor and technology for a nuclear bomb from [[Charles de Gaulle|President Charles de Gaulle]]. Beyond the French connection, Peres also arranged for the sale of high-performance French bombers to Israel in 1955, bypassing diplomatic niceties.[^2]
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Expanding Israel's nuclear partnerships further, Peres initiated military cooperation with [[South Africa]] in 1959. This arrangement involved South Africa selling uranium to Israel and later financing parts of Israel's nuclear program, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that would support Israel's nuclear development for years to come.[^1]
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### Controversies and Covert Operations
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Peres's career was not without scandal. In 1976, a telegram intercepted by [[Unit 8200]] revealed details of bribes paid by a [[Lockheed Aircraft Company|Lockheed]] representative in Israel to Defense Minister Peres. The sum involved was $3.5 million, deposited in one of Peres's brother's business accounts in [[Europe]]. This damaging information, discovered by [[Ari Ben-Menashe]], was subsequently covered up by Israeli military intelligence superiors.[^1]
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The 1980s brought new controversies involving arms sales to [[Iran]]. In 1980, [[William J. Casey]] invited Peres, then [[Labor Party]] leader, to participate in secret meetings concerning arms sales to Iran. Peres secretly met with [[Mehdi Karrubi]] in [[Madrid]], actions that drew sharp criticism when they came to light. When [[Menachem Begin]] learned of this unauthorized diplomacy, he warned Peres that such actions without government knowledge would be considered treason.[^1]
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### Prime Ministerial Tenure and Arms Trading
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In 1984, Peres became Prime Minister as part of a bizarre coalition agreement with [[Yitzhak Shamir]] of the [[Likud Party]], where they would share the roles of prime minister and foreign minister. During his tenure as prime minister (1984-1986), Peres appointed [[Amiram Nir]] as his counterterrorism adviser, a decision that would have significant implications for Israel's covert operations.[^1]
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During this period, Peres sought to expand Israel's involvement in international arms trading. He worked to open a competing arms channel to Iran to gain control over the profitable arms sales and to undermine the [[Iran-Israel Joint Committee|existing intelligence-community channel]]. This involvement extended to the broader [[United States|U.S.]] policy of arming both Iran and [[Iraq]], with Peres encouraging [[Bruce Rappaport]] to buy military equipment from Israel and divert it to Iraq.[^1]
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Despite his involvement in these controversial arms dealings, Peres also supported diplomatic initiatives, including the idea of a peace conference with the [[Palestinians]]. However, this proposal was blocked by Yitzhak Shamir and the Likud Party, reflecting the ongoing political tensions within Israel's coalition government.[^1]
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### Later Political Developments
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The legacy of Peres's covert operations continued to create complications even after his prime ministerial tenure. Nir's death in 1988 was believed by Israeli intelligence to be a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operation to prevent his testimony from embarrassing Peres, [[Ronald Reagan]], or [[George H.W. Bush]], highlighting the international ramifications of the arms trading networks Peres had helped establish.[^1]
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Peres's long political career eventually faced a significant setback in 1992, when he was ousted as leader of the Labor Party by [[Yitzhak Rabin]], who then replaced Yitzhak Shamir as prime minister after the national elections, marking the end of an era in Israeli politics.[^1]
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### Footnotes
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[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. _Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network_. TrineDay, 1992.
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[^2]: Hersh, Seymour M. _The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy_. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2. |