Yitzhak Shamir: Ten Little-Known Facts About Israel's Former Prime Minister

Yitzhak Shamir, best known as the Prime Minister who led Israel during the Gulf War and a prominent Likud leader, had a remarkable life before entering politics. Born Yitzhak Yizernitzky in 1915 in Rozhinoy, now Belarus, he adopted the surname Shamir while operating underground and hiding from the British. He immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1935, leaving behind his parents and two sisters who later perished in the Holocaust.

During the pre-state underground period, Shamir employed elaborate disguises to evade British authorities. At one point, he posed as an Orthodox rabbi, complete with a beard and sidelocks, to hide his identity. In 1941, he was imprisoned by the British in the Mizra detention camp but escaped in September 1942 by disguising himself as a Polish officer. This escape allowed him to rejoin the Lehi (Fighters for the Freedom of Israel) underground movement. His wife, Shulamit, whom he met in the same detention camp, also joined the underground activities, and they married in 1944.

Shamir's attempts to evade capture continued after his marriage. In 1946, he was arrested again and exiled to a detention camp in Eritrea. He escaped in January 1947 by digging a tunnel and eventually made his way back to Israel in May 1948, shortly after its establishment.

Before his political career, Shamir served for about a decade in the Mossad, joining in 1955 at the invitation of Isser Harel. He established and commanded "Unit Bayonet," which conducted special operations, including efforts against German scientists aiding Egypt. He left the Mossad in 1965 and entered politics several years later.

As Speaker of the Knesset in 1977, Shamir was present during Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's historic visit but abstained from voting on the peace accords with Egypt, disagreeing with the Sinai withdrawal. He became Israel's seventh Prime Minister in October 1983 at age 67, after Menachem Begin's resignation, defeating David Levy for Likud leadership. During the 1991 Gulf War, his government, under pressure from the U.S. to maintain the international coalition, refrained from retaliating against Iraqi Scud missile attacks.

Shamir concluded his premiership in 1992 after losing the election to Yitzhak Rabin and retired from the Knesset in 1996. In 2001, he was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement. He passed away on June 30, 2012, at the age of 96, and is buried in Jerusalem's Mount Herzl national cemetery.