From Peace in the South to War in the North: Menachem Begin as Prime Minister, 1977–1983

Menachem Begin was the sixth prime minister of Israel and the first from the right wing. He was in his post six years (1977–1983). The main claim of the article is that two main features led to his behavior during his term as prime minister. The first was dominant in his first term (1977–1981) and its central achievement was the Peace Agreement with Egypt. He was pragmatic, moderate, and his wish was to become accepted by the international community. The second feature was dominant in his second term (1981–1983), whose central event was the war with Lebanon (The First War with Lebanon). Begin was extreme, unbalanced, and his behavior during was the main reason for his resignation and his collapse.