Menachem Begin (1913-1992) was a prominent Israeli politician and Zionist leader who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983. Born in Brest-Litovsk in the Russian Empire (now Brest, Belarus), he grew up in a Jewish family in Poland, where he became active in Zionist youth movements. He studied law at the University of Warsaw and joined the Betar organization, founded by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, which shaped his revisionist Zionist ideology. During World War II, he escaped to Lithuania and later Palestine, where he led the Irgun, an underground paramilitary group fighting British mandatory rule. His leadership included controversial actions such as the 1946 King David Hotel bombing. After Israel's independence in 1948, he founded the Herut party, emphasizing nationalist and liberal principles, and served as opposition leader in the Knesset for nearly three decades. In 1973, Herut merged with other parties to form the Likud bloc, which he helped found, propelling him to victory in the 1977 elections and ending Labor Party dominance. As Prime Minister, he pursued aggressive security policies and settlement expansion in the West Bank and Gaza. His most notable achievement was the 1978 Camp David Accords with Egypt, mediated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, leading to the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty and earning him the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. His tenure was marred by the 1982 Lebanon War, which drew widespread criticism and contributed to his resignation in 1983 due to health issues. Begin's legacy is complex: hailed as a liberator for breaking political monopolies and advancing peace with Egypt, he is criticized for his militant pre-state actions and policies that escalated Israeli-Palestinian tensions. He retired from public life after resigning and lived quietly until his death in 1992.