Word: ben-gurion
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Dayan embarked on his meteoric career in the military during World War II, when he served with British forces. After Israel gained independence in 1948, he became a protege of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. By 1953, Dayan had risen to chief of staff and soon transformed the ragtag Israeli defense force into one of the most aggressive armies in the world. He gave priority to the development of Israel's air force, and his recognition of the effectiveness of fast-moving armor led to the Israelis' rapid advances in the 1956 Sinai campaign. Dayan was justifiably hailed...
...descended on Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv laden with luxury goods from the U.S. and West Germany; one El Al jetliner from Western Europe even bumped some passengers to add appliances...
Born in Poland and raised on a kibbutz, he was appointed director general of the Defense Ministry at age 29 by his political mentor, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. For the next 13 years, Peres played a major role in organizing Israel's defense forces, building up its formidable arms and aircraft technology and launching its nuclear research program. Today Israel is generally considered to be a nuclear military power...
During those years, however, Peres also made some powerful enemies, whose vindictive animosity has plagued his political career. His arms-buying forays in Europe often edged into diplomacy, irritating then Foreign Minister Golda Meir. As a Knesset member in 1965, Peres helped to found the Rafi faction of Ben-Gurion loyalists that defected from the Labor Party for three years...
...headquarters building on the Tel Aviv waterfront is usually swarming with admirers, foreign visitors and party hacks. Inside, the room is piled high with books in Hebrew and English (prominently including Hedrick Smith's work, Reagan: The Man, The President). A color portrait of his patron Ben-Gurion stares down from the wall...