Menachem Begin - biography.

Menachem Begin - biography. Prime Minister of Israel Birth August 16, 1913 Death March 2, 1992 Place of Birth Brest Litovsk, Russia (now Brest, Belarus) Political Party Likud (Unity) Official Title Prime Minister Term 1977-1983 Known For Negotiating and signing a peace agreement with Egypt, the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country Award 1978 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded jointly to Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat Milestones 1939 Organized demonstrations at the British Embassy in Warsaw to protest British restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine 1940-1941 Held captive in a Soviet concentration camp in Siberia 1943 Became head of Irgun Zvai Leumi (National Fighting Organization), a militant group seeking to oust the British from Palestine 1948 Emerged from underground activities after Israeli independence, transforming Irgun into the conservative Herut (Freedom) Party 1949 Elected to the Israeli legislature 1973 United with other opposition parties to form the Likud (Unity) party 1977 Became prime minister after leading Likud to victory in national elections 1978-1979 Negotiated a peace treaty with Egypt 1983 Resigned from office after an invasion of Lebanon by Israel resulted in heavy casualties and disruption of the peace process Quote 'No more wars, no more bloodshed. Peace unto you. Shalom, salaam, forever.' March 26, 1979, on signing peace agreement with Egypt. Did You Know Begin's parents and brother died in the Holocaust. Begin helped to plan Irgun's 1946 bombing of the British headquarters in Jerusalem, which resulted in 92 deaths. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.