October 29 1957 – 4 Marheshvan 5718
Moshe Dwek, a psychologically unbalanced immigrant from Aleppo, Syria and a veteran of the War of Independence, threw a hand grenade from the balcony of the old Knesset building in Beit Froumine, Jerusalem, into the chamber. Minister of Religious Affairs Moshe Shapira was seriously injured and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Foreign Minister Golda Meir and Transportation Minister Moshe Carmel were wounded. Dwek had two other grenades which he fortunately did not have time to throw. Dwek apparently acted out of emotional distress after losing appeals for government compensation for his declining health, and later asked the forgiveness of Minister Moshe Shapira. The affair proved the total inadequacy of Israeli security measures safeguarding heads of state, and led to the establishment of the GSS Security Unit in 1958.
Dwek served a fifteen year jail sentence, then ran for the Knesset representing his own political party, Tarshish, advocating positive discrimination for Jews of Sephardic origin in Israel’s leadership, in 1988. He failed to win a seat.
Feel free to share
