Editing Levi Eshkol (section)

==Biography==
===Early years===
Levi Eshkol (Shkolnik) was born in the [[shtetl]] of [[Orativ|Oratov]], [[Lipovetsky Uyezd]], [[Kiev Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] (now ''Orativ'', [[Vinnytsia Oblast]], Ukraine). Both his parents were [[Jewish]], although his mother Dvora (born as Dvora Krasnyanskaya) came from a [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic background]], whereas his father Joseph Shkolnik came from a family of [[Mitnagdim]]. Both families were business-oriented and were owners of agricultural businesses including flour mills, industrial plants and forestry associated businesses.

Eshkol received a traditional Jewish education from the age of four and began [[Talmud]] studies at the age of seven. In addition to his [[Heder]] studies, Eshkol was taught by private tutors in general education. In 1911 he was accepted for studies at the Jewish gymnasium in Vilna (now [[Vilnius, Lithuania]]) and left his hometown and his family.

In Vilna, Eshkol joined the students' association Zeiri Zion (Youth of Zion) and began his connections with the [[Zionist movement]]. He was elected to the local executive committee and, in 1913, joined [[Hapoel Hatzair]] following his meeting with party leader [[Joseph Shprinzak]].

===Public activity 1914–37===
In 1914, he left for [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], then part of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. He first settled in [[Petah Tikva]] and worked in the setting of [[irrigation]] tunnels at the local orchards. In later years he would be recalled as an excelling worker during this period of time. Eshkol also quickly became publicly active and was elected as a member of the local workers' union. However he soon thereafter left Petah Tikva, joining a small group that was set to settle the area of [[Atarot]] (Kalandia).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lammfromm|first=Arnon|date=1 December 2020|title=Going with the Flow|url=|journal=Segula: The Jewish History Magazine|volume=55|pages=18}}</ref>

At the outbreak of [[World War I]], fearing local hostility, his group settled briefly in [[Kfar Uria]], [[Rishon LeZion]] and returning to Petah Tikva. In 1915–17 he was a leading member of the [[Judea Workers' Union]]. In 1918, he volunteered with the [[Jewish Legion]] and served in it until the summer of 1920.

In September 1920 Eshkol was among the 25 founders of [[Kibbutz]] [[Degania Bet]], making it his permanent residence. However, his public activity had grown and he was often sent on various missions. In 1920, he was among the founders of [[Histadrut]]. He was also one of the founders of the [[Haganah]]. He was a member of the Haganah's first national high command (1920–21). As a delegate of Histadrut, he was an international representative in various gatherings and was tasked with organization of the "Agriculture Workers' Union". In 1929 he was a delegate for the first time to the [[Zionist Congress]] and was elected to the Zionist Executive, which made him an acting member of the executive in the newly formed [[Jewish Agency]].

Between 1933 and 1934, Eshkol was working in [[Berlin]] on behalf of the [[World Zionist Organization|Zionist Organization]] and [[HeHalutz]] youth movement. During this time he negotiated with the German authorities over what became known as the [[Haavara Agreement]]. Upon his return to Palestine in 1934, he was appointed director of Nir company, which provided funds to new agricultural settlements.

===Director of Mekorot===
Eshkol lobbied for a national water company from ''circa'' 1930{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}, presenting budget plans before the [[World Zionist Organization]] in 1933 and 1935. The formation of [[Mekorot]] water company was made possible in February 1937 under joint management of the Jewish Agency, Histadrut and the [[Jewish National Fund]]. Eshkol served as its director until 1951, overseeing its expansion in 1938 from agricultural territories to residential areas and the construction of the first water lines to the southern [[Negev]] area as early as 1941.<ref>{{Cite web|title=לוי אשכול ופרוייקט המים|url=https://www.levieshkol.co.il/לוי-אשכול-ופרוייקט-המים/|access-date=2021-03-26|website=לוי אשכול|language=he-IL}}</ref> By 1947, more than 200 kilometers of water lines were active.<ref>{{Cite web|title="מקורות" בעשייה|url=https://wold.mekorot.co.il/Heb/newsite/InformationCenter/Milestones/Pages/default.aspx|access-date=2021-03-26|website=wold.mekorot.co.il|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419114459/https://wold.mekorot.co.il/Heb/newsite/InformationCenter/Milestones/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Political and military activity 1940–49===
[[File:עליה לקיבוץ יסעור 4 צלם בנו רותנברג 1949 גנזך המדינה.jpg|thumb|250px|Eshkol at kibbutz [[Yas'ur]] in 1949]]
Eshkol returned to serve in the Haganah high command from 1940 to 1948 and was in charge of the organization's treasury.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/eshkol.html |title=Levi Eshkol |access-date=2012-01-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316090135/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/eshkol.html |archive-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> He engaged in arms acquisition for the Haganah prior to and during the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]].

Between 1942 and 1944, Eshkol served as Secretary General of Mapai.

During the [[Second World War]] Eshkol advocated for Jewish enrollment to the [[British military]]. However, he confirmed with the [[Yishuv]]'s leadership and later joined the ideology asserting differentiation between the global front and the local front, fighting against the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate]]. In 1945–46 Eshkol was representative of Haganah in the leadership of the [[Jewish Resistance Movement]].

In 1944 he was appointed as the Secretary General of [[Tel Aviv]] Workers' Council, remaining in this position until 1948.

In 1947 Eshkol was appointed as a member of the two major defense forums: The [[Negev Committee]] that oversaw the administration of the Negev prior to the declaration of independence of Israel, as well as the general Defense Committee of the Yishuv's leadership. Later that year, he was appointed by David Ben-Gurion to head the national recruitment center, which laid foundations to the formation of [[Israel Defense Forces]] upon independence of the State of Israel, in May 1948, at which point Eshkol was appointed Director-General of the Ministry of Defense, serving from May 1948 to January 1949.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/levi%20eshkol.aspx "Levi Eshkol"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409104438/http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/levi%20eshkol.aspx |date=9 April 2016 }}, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site.</ref>

===Rise to national political career===
During the time of mass immigration to the State of Israel (1949–1950), Eshkol headed the Settlement Department in the [[Jewish Agency]], where he first proposed the idea of settling a good number of these immigrants upon newly founded agricultural farms, in order to solve their housing dilemma. He is noted as saying, "We didn't know exactly what to do with these Jews. Then we interjected from the counsels of our heart, and from the experience that we had amassed thus far, and said: A desolate country, a desolate people; these two things must cause one another to blossom. From this, the idea was born to launch an extensive agricultural settlement operation and absorb a large part of the immigrants."<ref>''Levi Eshkol, the Third Prime-Minister: A Selection of Documents Covering his Life'' [Heb. '''(לוי אשכול - ראש הממשלה השלישי : מבחר תעודות מפרקי חייו (1895-1969'''], ed. Y. Rosental, A. Lampron & H. Tzoref, Israel State Archives (publisher): Jerusalem 2002, chapter 6 - ''In the Jewish Agency, During the Years of Mass Immigration'' (Hebrew)</ref> Eshkol was elected to the [[Knesset]] in 1951 as a member of [[Mapai]] party. He served as [[Agriculture Minister of Israel|Minister of Agriculture]] until 1952.

In the [[1959 Israeli legislative election|1959 legislative election]], Eshkol coordinated Mapai's national campaign with the local party branches. He was also appointed as chairman of the party's committee on social affairs. As internal party tension was growing due to the [[Lavon Affair]], Eshkol was asked to serve as an arbitrator.

In 1961, Ben-Gurion asked to retire as prime minister and recommended Eshkol as his successor. However, Mapai made Ben-Gurion stay. Ben-Gurion continued to lead Mapai in the [[1961 Israeli legislative election|1961 legislative election]] but struggled to form a coalition and relied on Eshkol's negotiations with rival parties.

===Minister of Finance===
[[File:Arithur Levitt Sr. NY St Comp - Levi Eshkol Fin Min 1959.jpg|thumb|Levi Eshkol (right), Israel's Finance Minister, meeting with [[Arthur Levitt Sr.]] (left), New York State Comptroller (1959)]]
Following the death of [[Eliezer Kaplan]] he was appointed [[Finance Minister of Israel|Finance Minister]] and held that position for the following 12 years. During these years, he helped form the ministry of finance, establishing the Budgets Directorate and other bodies. In 1954 he completed legislation for the establishment of the [[Bank of Israel]].

Eshkol oversaw the implementation of Kaplan's 1952 economic plan, as well as realizing the [[Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany]], which was towards its final stages of negotiation and signed in September 1952.

In 1957 he began talks with the [[European Economic Community]] towards integration of Israel in its market, ultimately achieved in 1964 with the signing of the first commercial agreement between the two entities.

In 1962 Eshkol introduced a new economic plan.

===Party chairmanship===
[[File:2 - EshkolBenGurion.jpg|thumb|Eshkol and Ben-Gurion, June 1963]]
During his term as finance minister, Eshkol established himself as a prominent figure in Mapai's leadership, and was designated by Prime Minister [[David Ben-Gurion]] as his successor.

When Ben-Gurion resigned in June 1963, Eshkol was elected party chairman with a broad consensus and was subsequently appointed prime minister. However, his relationship with Ben-Gurion soon turned acrimonious over the latter's insistence on investigating the [[Lavon Affair]], an Israeli covert operation in [[Egypt]], which had gone wrong a decade earlier. Ben-Gurion was unsuccessful in challenging Eshkol's leadership in the [[1965 Mapai leadership election]] and split from Mapai with a few of his young protégés to form [[Rafi (political party)|Rafi]] in June 1965. In the meantime, Mapai merged with [[Ahdut HaAvoda]] to form the [[Alignment (political party)|Alignment]] with Eshkol as its head. Rafi was defeated by the Alignment in the [[1965 Israeli legislative election|elections]] held in November 1965, establishing Eshkol as the country's indisputable leader. Yet Ben-Gurion, drawing on his influence as Israel's founding father, continued to undermine Eshkol's authority throughout his term as prime minister, portraying him as a spineless politician incapable of addressing Israel's security predicament.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

As party chairman, Eshkol formed the basis for the [[Alignment (Israel)|Alignment]] in 1964, the formation of the unified [[Israel Labor Party]] in 1968 and the joining of forces with [[Mapam]] to create the second alignment in 1969.

===Prime minister===
[[File:Levi Eshkol with Richard Nixon in Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|upright|Eshkol with [[Richard Nixon]] in Jerusalem on August 2, 1966.]]
Eshkol formed Israel's twelfth government in 1963.<ref name=jta27june>{{cite news|title=New Israel Cabinet Sworn into Office in Knesset; German Issue Raised|url=http://www.jta.org/1963/06/27/archive/new-israel-cabinet-sworn-into-office-in-knesset-german-issue-raised|access-date=7 July 2013|newspaper=JTA|date=27 June 1963}}</ref> His first term in office saw continuous economic growth, epitomized by the opening of the [[National Water Carrier]] system in 1964. He and Finance Minister [[Pinchas Sapir]]'s subsequent "soft landing" of the overheated economy by means of [[recession|recessive]] policies precipitated a drastic slump in economic activity. Israel's centralized [[planned economy]] lacked the mechanisms to self-regulate the slowdown, which reached levels higher than expected. Eshkol faced growing domestic unrest as unemployment reached 12% in 1966, yet the recession eventually served in healing fundamental economic deficiencies and helped fuel the ensuing recovery of 1967–1973.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

Upon being elected into office, Levi Eshkol fulfilled [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]]'s wish and brought his body and that of his wife to Israel where they were buried in [[Mount Herzl]] Cemetery.

====Foreign relations====
[[File:Idi Amin - Levi Eshkol - Entebbe 1966-06-12.jpg|thumb|Eshkol at [[Entebbe]] during a visit to [[Uganda]] in 1966]]
During his first months as premier, Eshkol was engaged in a now-declassified diplomatic standoff with the United States that had begun in 1960 under Ben-Gurion.<ref name="Haaretz2019">{{Cite news | url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-how-a-standoff-with-the-u-s-almost-blew-up-israel-s-nuclear-program-1.7193419 |title = How a Standoff with the U.S. Almost Blew up Israel's Nuclear Program|newspaper = Haaretz|date = 2019-05-03|last1 = Cohen|first1 = Avner}}</ref>
Eshkol worked to improve [[foreign relations of Israel|Israel's foreign relations]] by establishing diplomatic relations with [[West Germany]] in 1965, as well as cultural ties with the [[Soviet Union]], which also allowed some [[History of the Jews in Russia|Soviet Jews]] to [[aliyah|immigrate to Israel]]. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister invited on an official state visit to the United States in May 1964.<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/In-Jerusalem/A-house-with-a-legacy-476996 A house with a legacy], [[Jerusalem Post]]</ref>

With Johnson's administration also represented in this case by national security aide [[Robert W. Komer]] and others, Eshkol signed what became known as the Eshkol-Comer (''sic''){{dubious|Why not correct it to "Eshkol-Komer"? Is it so well-entrenched? Where?|date=January 2016}} memorandum of understanding (MOU) about [[nuclear weapons and Israel|Israeli nuclear capabilities]]. The 10 March 1965 MOU, which has been variously interpreted since, stated, 'Israel would not be the first country to "introduce" nuclear weapons to the Middle East'.<ref>Avni, Benny,[http://www.newsweek.com/iran-and-syria-eye-israels-nukes-243682 "Iran and Syria Eye Israel’s Nukes"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121182039/http://www.newsweek.com/iran-and-syria-eye-israels-nukes-243682 |date=21 January 2016 }}, ''[[Newsweek]]'', 17 October 2013. This source and others misspell Komer's last name. For confirmation of correct spelling/identification, for example Cohen, Avner, [https://archive.org/details/israelbomb00cohe/page/207 <!-- quote=eshkol-komer. --> ''Israel and the Bomb''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505022421/https://books.google.com/books?id=RGcwET30-noC&pg=PA207&lpg=PA207&dq=eshkol-komer&source=bl&ots=vTeDPHDmEu&sig=ZlofFw7X6fkafEWHv3zMZefrKyE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GhsgVbyvL4GisAWJp4HoDA&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA |date=5 May 2016}} ([[Columbia University]] Press) p. 207; or [[Seymour Hersh|Hersh, Seymour]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=doO-SLaJgbcC&q=Robert+komer+national+security+johnson+israel+eshkol+memorandum+nuclear ''The Samson option: Israel's nuclear arsenal''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512180530/https://books.google.com/books?id=doO-SLaJgbcC&q=Robert%20komer%20national%20security%20johnson%20israel%20eshkol%20memorandum%20nuclear&dq=Robert%20komer%20national%20security%20johnson%20israel%20eshkol%20memorandum%20nuclear&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HiAgVYfuEMWEsAXV8IHoBA&ved=0CEwQ6AEwB |date=12 May 2016}} (NY: Random House, 1991), p. 134; both via Google Books. Retrieved 2015-04-04.</ref>

====Six-Day War====
[[File:Cheering reserve soldiers greeting Levi Eshkol and min. Menahem Begin in Sinai. June 1967. D705-048.jpg|thumb|Eshkol and [[Menachem Begin]] visiting Israeli troops in Sinai shortly after the Six-Day War]]
The special relationship he developed with Johnson would prove pivotal in securing US political and military support for Israel during the "[[Waiting period (Six-Day War)|Waiting period]]" before the [[Six-Day War]] of June 1967.<ref name="Johnson">{{cite book |title=The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership |last=Avner |first=Yehuda |author-link=Yehuda Avner |year=2010 |publisher=The Toby Press |isbn=978-1-59264-278-6 |page=599}}</ref>

According to [[Michael Oren]], Eshkol's intransigence in the face of military pressure to launch an Israeli attack is considered to have been instrumental in increasing Israel's strategic advantage and obtaining international legitimacy, but at the time, he was perceived as hesitant, an image cemented after a stuttered radio speech on 28 May.<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Michael Oren |first=Michael B. |last=Oren |year=2003 |title=Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East |publisher=Random House |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/sixdaysofwarjune0000oren_u3x7/page/316 316] |isbn=0-345-46192-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sixdaysofwarjune0000oren_u3x7/page/316 }}</ref> Egyptian President [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]'s ever-increasing provocations created diplomatic support for Israel. Eshkol eventually established a [[National Unity Government]], together with [[Menachem Begin]]'s [[Herut]] party, and conceded the Defense portfolio to [[Moshe Dayan]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YAd8efHdVzIC&pg=PA342|title=The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History [4 volumes]: A Political, Social, and Military History|last1=Tucker|first1=Spencer C.|last2=Roberts|first2=Priscilla|date=2008-05-12|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781851098422|language=en}}</ref>

===Death and funeral===
[[File:Eshkol graves, Mt Herzl.jpg|thumb|Gravesite of Levi Eshkol and his wife Miriam at Mt Herzl, Jerusalem]]
In the year following the war, Eshkol's health gradually declined, although he remained in power. He suffered a heart attack on 3 February 1969 from which he recovered and gradually returned to his work, maintaining meetings from the Prime Minister's official residence. In the early morning of 26 February he suffered a fatal heart attack. At his side were his wife and three physicians, including [[Moshe Rachmilewitz]]. He died in office, at the age of 73.

Eshkol was laid to rest on 28 February at [[Mount Herzl]] and was the first prime minister interred at the [[Mount Herzl#Great Leaders of the Nation|Great Leaders of the Nation Plot]]. He was the first of either presidents and prime ministers of Israel to be buried at the plot, preceded only by [[Eliezer Kaplan]] and [[Yosef Sprinzak]].

Eshkol expressed his wishes to be buried at his Kibbutz, [[Deganya Bet]]. However, upon his passing a government meeting was convened in which the ministers expressed their support in his burial in Jerusalem. This decision was not only symbolic in its nature (following the [[Six-Day War]]), but also supported by the winter season and difficulty of performing a state funeral at the [[Jordan Valley]] as well as the [[War of Attrition]] and possible security risk at shelling aimed towards the Deganya Bet region. The government's offer was approved later that day by the Eshkol family. A second government meeting that day declared two days of national mourning, until after the state funeral. Flags across the country were brought to half mast.

Eshkol's body remained at the Prime Minister's residence in a symbolic [[lie in state]], with an honor guard of the [[Israeli Police]]. On 27 February at 6:00, he was moved to the [[Knesset]] plaza, open to the public passing before the casket. An official state ceremony attended by dignitaries and international delegates was held in the Knesset plaza on 28 February, prior to the funeral procession to Mount Herzl.