Israeli statesman and socialist politician. He was one of the founders of the state of Israel, the country's first prime minister 194853, and again 195563. He retired from politics in 1970, but remained a lasting symbol of the Israeli state.
He was born in Poland and went to Palestine in 1906 to farm. He was a leader of the Zionist movement, and as defence minister he presided over the development of Israel's armed forces into one of the strongest armies in the Middle East.
© RM 2009. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.