--- born: 1915-10-22 category: Key Figures died: 2012-06-30 location: Ruzhany, Belarus summary: Israeli Prime Minister and former LEHI member who authorized intelligence sharing with the Soviet Union and oversaw covert arms deals with Iran and the Iran-Israel Joint Committee. tags: - Person - CIA - Politician - Israel - Soviet --- [Yitzhak Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) was a prominent [Israeli](/places/israel/) politician who served as Prime Minister of [Israel](/places/israel/). He was a former member of [LEHI](/organizations/lehi/) (Stern Gang), a Jewish terrorist group, and later became a prominent figure in [Mossad](/organizations/mossad/), serving as operations chief for Europe.[^1] ### Anti-American Sentiments and Soviet Relations [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) was known for his anti-[American](/places/united-states/) sentiments, stemming from his belief that the [U.S.](/places/united-states/) was partially responsible for the Holocaust. He sought to open lines of communication between [Israel](/places/israel/) and the East Bloc countries, particularly after becoming prime minister in 1983. He authorized intelligence exchanges with the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/), including sanitized [American](/places/united-states/) intelligence reports about nuclear issues and evaluations of [Soviet](/places/soviet-union/) nuclear technology.[^1] ### Coalition Government and Arms Trading [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) was a key figure in the [Likud Party](/organizations/likud-party/). He formed a bizarre coalition government with [Shimon Peres](/people/shimon-peres/) of the [Labor Party](/organizations/labor-party/) in 1984, sharing the roles of prime minister and foreign minister. [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) had a close relationship with [Rafi](/organizations/rafi/), who served as his counterterrorism adviser and later ran the [Iran-Israel Joint Committee](/organizations/iran-israel-joint-committee/). [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) was involved in the decision to supply [Iran](/places/iran/) with arms in its war with [Saddam Hussein's](/people/saddam-hussein/) [Iraq](/places/iraq/), believing it was in [Israel's](/places/israel/) national security interest.[^1] ### Pollard Espionage Case [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) was also involved in the [Jonathan Pollard](/people/jonathan-pollard/) espionage case, authorizing the transfer of [Israeli](/places/israel/) intelligence gleaned from the [United States](/places/united-states/) to the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/). During his tenure as prime minister (1984-1986), Shamir authorized some of the [Pollard](/people/jonathan-pollard/) material to be sanitized, retyped, and turned over to Soviet intelligence officials as a gesture of Israeli goodwill. This decision was consistent with his personal and political beliefs, as he viscerally disliked the [United States](/places/united-states/) and was fascinated with strong regimes, viewing the U.S. as "soft, bourgeois, materialistic and effete." He believed that by relaying the Pollard information to the Soviets, he was demonstrating that [Israel](/places/israel/) could be a much more dependable and important collaborator in the [Middle East](/places/middle-east/) than the "fickle" Arabs. Shamir's actions, if exposed, would have meant the end of the increasingly shaky Likud coalition and put the overall Israeli–United States relationship at risk.[^1][^2] [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) was furious when the [North](/people/oliver-north/) group leaked the [Pollard](/people/jonathan-pollard/) story, and sought to nip the newcomers in the bud.[^1] ### Palestinian and Regional Policy [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) opposed [U.S.](/places/united-states/) peace initiatives that would involve giving up territory in the [West Bank](/places/west-bank/) and [Gaza Strip](/places/gaza-strip/), and believed that [Jordan](/places/jordan/) should be the Palestinian state. Despite this public stance, [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) initiated secret attempts to negotiate a solution to the Palestinian situation with the [PLO](/organizations/palestine-liberation-organization/), discussing a plan to unseat King Hussein of [Jordan](/places/jordan/) and establish a Palestinian state there.[^1] ### Nuclear and Chemical Weapons Programs [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) authorized [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) to undertake a secret mission to [Peru](/places/peru/) to acquire nuclear substances for [Israel's](/places/israel/) tactical atom bomb program. [Shamir](/people/yitzhak-shamir/) was confronted by [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) regarding the chemical weapons trade to [Iraq](/places/iraq/) and the need to secure the release of [Israeli](/places/israel/) soldiers held in [Lebanon](/places/lebanon/). He initially refused to release C-130 aircraft to [Iran](/places/iran/) until the [Israeli](/places/israel/) soldiers were freed, but later changed his mind. He also intervened to put on hold the execution list of individuals deemed enemies of the state of [Israel](/places/israel/).[^1] [^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. _Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network_. TrineDay, 1992. [^2]: Hersh, Seymour M. _The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy_. Random House, 1991. Chapter 21.