Israel’s progenitor
Main topic of world’s newsfeed these days has been grievous news and biography of the 9th President of Israel Shimon Peres. And it’s not surprising. He isn’t an ordinary political figure. For the many he embodies a figure, serving to the state and the nation.
After the WWII, establishment of Israeli state is perhaps the most ambitious and forward geopolitical guide, which until now conditions lots of things in interstate relations. And for the people of Israel Shimon Peres is one of the forefathers and greatest leaders of their country.
Peres was born in 1923 in Poland (the village he was born is currently included in the territory of Belarus). His father was a merchant, and mother—a Russian language teacher. His family returned to the historical fatherland in 1934. Further life of Peres may be called or considered biblical. He was a member of 12 Israeli Governments.
Three times he was the country’s Prime Minister. At the age of 29 he became the youngest Defense Minister in the history of his country. In this period the newly built state was repeatedly at war. By reconstructing the Ministry, Peres succeeds to take greater part of the country’s state budget under his Ministry. In this period he establishes military cooperation with France and the USA: through open and secret agreements he succeeds to import armaments costing millions of dollars for the army of the newly built country. Shimon Peres was the first state figure, who initiated military cooperation with German Defense Ministry.
This is rather noteworthy, as all his relatives in his birthplace have died in the years of the Fascist occupation. Prior to getting involved in politics he implements numerous military plans. Finally, only in 2007 he is elected President of Israel (until 2014), when 86 from 120 Knesset MPs voted in his favor in the second round. At that moment and until now Shimon Peres is considered world’s eldest country leader.
And in 1952 upon the assignment of Israeli founding President Ben Gurion he undertakes Israel’s atomic program, becoming father of nuclear programs of his country as well. As a result of secret accord between France and Israel with his participation, an APP is being constructed in 1957 near Dimona city. After this Peres establishes Nuclear Research Center in Israel.
Even in case of such service to the state, he was frequently failing in elections. Sometimes even the closest politicians were ‘rebelling’ against him, attempting to alienate Peres from leadership of the political party he established. Political biographers, stressing his distinguished negotiating capabilities, state that Shimon Peres never conceded in principal issues, remaining always loyal to the principles developed by forefathers of Israeli state. In 1976, when Palestine terrorists took 83 Jews hostage on French plane, he was the only member of Israeli Government, who was against the proposal of negotiating with the terrorists.
In the end, Peres convinced everyone to refuse the idea of negotiations and under his responsibility developed and headed the plan of liberating the hostages. No matter how strange it may sound, in 1994 he was awarded Nobel Peace Prize. There is no any other case, when international peace award is granted to such a ‘bellicose’ state and political figure. Perhaps this fact is worth serious analysis and reverence.
It’s known from nowadays world history what’s the attitude of the international community towards nuclear programs and their implementers of Iran and North Korea. Meanwhile a few years later, after the Nobel Prize was awarded, when Israeli President Yitzhak Rabin was murdered, Shimon Peres again became country’s Defense Minister. And this fact strangely didn’t surprise anyone. However, it’s worth comparing—Nobel Peace Prize winner and Defense Minister.
Moreover, Defense Minister of a state involved in permanent and lasting wars. Thus, it’s difficult to find the answer to the question: how’s it possible? As a progenitor, Peres was advising Israel’s young politicians to build the country by brave and discreet steps. Particularly, when his life and activity was the best example of serving to the fatherland.
By Ara Galoyan
