--- born: 1915-10-22 category: Intelligence & Government 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 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.