4.5 KiB
| category | tags | summary | born | died | location | |||||
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| Key Figures |
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Israeli Prime Minister and former LEHI member who authorized intelligence sharing with the Soviet Union and oversaw covert arms deals with Iran and the Iran-Israel Joint Committee. | 1915-10-22 | 2012-06-30 | Ruzhany, Belarus |
Yitzhak Shamir was a prominent Israel politician who served as Prime Minister of Israel. He was a former member of LEHI (Stern Gang), a Jewish terrorist group, and later became a prominent figure in Mossad, serving as operations chief for Europe.1
Anti-American Sentiments and Soviet Relations
Yitzhak Shamir was known for his anti-United States sentiments, stemming from his belief that the United States was partially responsible for the Holocaust. He sought to open lines of communication between Israel and the East Bloc countries, particularly after becoming prime minister in 1983. He authorized intelligence exchanges with the Soviet Union, including sanitized United States intelligence reports about nuclear issues and evaluations of Soviet Union nuclear technology.1
Coalition Government and Arms Trading
Yitzhak Shamir was a key figure in the Likud Party. He formed a bizarre coalition government with Shimon Peres of the Labor Party in 1984, sharing the roles of prime minister and foreign minister. Yitzhak Shamir had a close relationship with Rafi, who served as his counterterrorism adviser and later ran the Iran-Israel Joint Committee. Yitzhak Shamir was involved in the decision to supply Iran with arms in its war with Saddam Hussein Iraq, believing it was in Israel national security interest.1
Pollard Espionage Case
Yitzhak Shamir was also involved in the Jonathan Pollard espionage case, authorizing the transfer of Israel intelligence gleaned from the United States to the Soviet Union. During his tenure as prime minister (1984-1986), Shamir authorized some of the Jonathan Pollard material to be sanitized, retyped, and turned over to Soviet intelligence officials as a gesture of Israeli goodwill. This decision was consistent with his personal and political beliefs, as he viscerally disliked the United States and was fascinated with strong regimes, viewing the U.S. as "soft, bourgeois, materialistic and effete." He believed that by relaying the Pollard information to the Soviets, he was demonstrating that Israel could be a much more dependable and important collaborator in the Middle East than the "fickle" Arabs. Shamir's actions, if exposed, would have meant the end of the increasingly shaky Likud coalition and put the overall Israeli–United States relationship at risk.12
Yitzhak Shamir was furious when the Oliver North group leaked the Jonathan Pollard story, and sought to nip the newcomers in the bud.1
Palestinian and Regional Policy
Yitzhak Shamir opposed United States peace initiatives that would involve giving up territory in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and believed that Jordan should be the Palestinian state. Despite this public stance, Yitzhak Shamir initiated secret attempts to negotiate a solution to the Palestinian situation with the Palestine Liberation Organization, discussing a plan to unseat King Hussein of Jordan of Jordan and establish a Palestinian state there.1
Nuclear and Chemical Weapons Programs
Yitzhak Shamir authorized Ari Ben-Menashe to undertake a secret mission to Peru to acquire nuclear substances for Israel tactical atom bomb program. Yitzhak Shamir was confronted by Ari Ben-Menashe regarding the chemical weapons trade to Iraq and the need to secure the release of Israel soldiers held in Lebanon. He initially refused to release C-130 aircraft to Iran until the Israel soldiers were freed, but later changed his mind. He also intervened to put on hold the execution list of individuals deemed enemies of the state of Israel.1