Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir dies

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir dies

www.bbc.co.uk

The former Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Shamir, has died at the age of 96, officials say.

In a statement announcing the death, current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to his "deep loyalty to Israel".

As leader of the right-wing Likud party, Mr Shamir was prime minister between 1983-1984, and in 1986-1992.

In office, he gained a reputation as an uncompromising opponent of Palestinian statehood.

"He was part of a marvellous generation which created the state of Israel and struggled for the Jewish people," Mr Netanyahu said in his statement.

Born in Poland in

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Well it is certainly true that only the good die young, I am glad to see another bigot finally go below the ground, I can only hope the future generations of Israel will be more tolerant though frankly I wouldnt hold my breath

His obituary from the bbc can be found here
www.bbc.co.uk...

In Palestine, he joined an underground organisation, Irgun Zvai Leumi, led by another future Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin, and dedicated to fighting for an independent Jewish state.

But Irgun was not militant enough for Shamir, who believed that violence was the way to get results, and in 1940 he joined - and later led - the more extreme Stern Gang.

The British Foreign Office in the 1940s described him as "among the most fanatical terrorist leaders".

It was they who in 1946 blew up the King David Hotel, the British headquarters in Jerusalem, with the loss of 88 lives (15 of them Jewish), and killed the United Nations mediator, Count Bernadotte.

Shamir was twice arrested by the British and twice escaped, finally returning after the 1948 declaration of the state of Israel.

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Hope he likes Satan probing his nethers in Hell with hot pokers. Good riddens of bad rubbish. Say does anyone know how Ariel Sharon's coma is coming along?