Yitzhak Shamir

Summary

Likud prime minister of Israel in the period covered by Chapter 6 of The Jewish State: A Century Later, who succeeded Menachem Begin in September 1983 and headed the National Unity and then narrow Likud-led governments deadlocked over foreign policy (The Jewish State: A Century Later, lines 2352-2514).

Shamir succeeded Begin as Likud prime minister in September 1983 and appeared in a weak position when forced to call elections a year early, in July 1984, with inflation estimated at over 400 percent and Israeli forces still bogged down in southern Lebanon after the 1982 invasion (lines 2352-2514).
After the 1988 elections Labor agreed to a renewed National Unity Government on less-than-equal terms, with Shamir projected as prime minister for the full four-year term; basic disagreement over foreign policy still deadlocked the government (lines 2352-2514).
In March 1990 Shimon Peres brought that government down on a no-confidence vote but could not form an alternative; after long maneuvering Shamir emerged as head of a “narrow” Likud-led government with a bare majority, ending five and a half years of power-sharing (lines 2352-2514).
That government also could not pursue a coherent policy or serve out its term: Shamir’s agreement to participate in the U.S.-initiated peace talks that began in October 1991 led to the defection of the smaller right-wing parties and early elections in June 1992 (lines 2352-2514).
In the personalized 1992 general election, Yitzhak Rabin’s supporters and opponents focused on his personal strengths and weaknesses in confrontation with the comparatively less popular Shamir; in March 1993 the Likud replaced Shamir as party leader with Benjamin Netanyahu in its first general party primaries (lines 2617-2799).

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