Begin Can't Go On - סגולה

August 28 1983 – 19 Elul 5783

As the Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin achieved a great deal, including signing a peace treaty with Egypt and bombing the nuclear plant in Iraq. Nevertheless, he was subject to widespread public criticism following the IDF’s invasion of Lebanon after protracted shelling of Israel’s northernmost towns. Stressed by the criticism, depressed from the death of his wife Aliza and physically weak as the result of a hip fracture, he retreated to his home, avoiding politics. Eventually, Begin announced his decision to resign from public life, with the words “I cannot go on.” Begin’s resignation notice didn’t come into effect immediately, as his party members pleaded with him to stay, but his dramatic declaration came to symbolize the end of his tenure as Israel’s Prime Minister.