Eshkol’s first term in office saw continuous economic growth, epitomized by the opening of the National Water Carrier system in 1964. His and Finance Minister Pinchas Sapir's subsequent "soft landing" of the overheated economy by means of recessive policies precipitated a drastic slump in economic activity. Israel’s centralized planned economy lacked the mechanisms to self-regulate the slowdown which reached levels higher than expected. Eshkol faced growing domestic unrest as unemployment reached 12% in 1966, yet the recession eventually served in healing fundamental economic deficiencies and helped fuel the ensuing recovery of 1967-1973.

Levi Eshkol. 1984 5,000 sheqels banknote

Upon being elected into office, Levi Eshkol fulfilled Ze'ev Jabotinsky's wish and brought his body to Israel where he was buried.

Eshkol worked to improve Israel’s foreign relations, establishing diplomatic relations with West Germany in 1965, as well as cultural ties with the Soviet Union which also allowed some Soviet Jews to immigrate to Israel. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister invited on an official state visit to the United States in May 1964. The special relationship he developed with President Lyndon Johnson would prove pivotal in securing US political and military support for Israel during the "Waiting period" preceding the Six Day War of June 1967. Today, Eshkol’s intransigence in the face of military pressure to launch an Israeli attack is considered to have been instrumental in increasing Israel’s strategic advantage as well as obtaining international legitimacy, yet at the time he was perceived as hesitant, an image cemented following a dismally stuttered radio speech on May 28^[1]. With Egyptian President Nasser's ever more overt provocations, he eventually succumbed to public opinion and established a National Unity Government together with Menachem Begin's Herut party, reluctantly conceding the Defense portfolio to war hero Moshe Dayan, a close ally of Ben-Gurion’s and a member of his Rafi party. Israel’s overwhelming victory allowed Eshkol to remain Prime Minister despite never receiving recognition for his role in achieving it. In the years following the war he slowly receded due to ill health, and died while in office in February 1969.

The Eshkol National Park near Beersheba has been named after him.

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References

1. ^ Michael B. Oren, 2003, Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, Random House, New York, p. 316

• Dov Medved, Levi Eshkol, State and Party, 1948-1953, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2004 (Hebrew with english summary).

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See also

• Eshkol Regional Council
• Eshkol lake
• Hevel Eshkol

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External links

• Levi Eshkol Knesset website (English)
• Short Biography of Levi Eshkol from the Jewish Virtual Library
• NNDB entry on Levi Eshkol

v • d • e Prime Ministers of Israel David Ben-Gurion (1948-53) · Moshe Sharett (1953-55) · David Ben-Gurion (1955-63) · Levi Eshkol (1963-69) · Yigal Allon (acting - 1969) · Golda Meir (1969-74) · Yitzhak Rabin (1974-77) · Shimon Peres (acting - 1977) · Menachem Begin (1977-83) · Yitzhak Shamir (1983-84) · Shimon Peres (1984-86) · Yitzhak Shamir (1986-92) · Yitzhak Rabin (1992-95) · Shimon Peres (1995-96) · Benjamin Netanyahu (1996-99) · Ehud Barak (1999-2001) · Ariel Sharon (2001-2006) · Ehud Olmert (2006-date)

v • d • e Defense Ministers of Israel David Ben-Gurion (1948-54) · Pinhas Lavon (1954-55) · David Ben-Gurion (1955-63) · Levi Eshkol (1963-67) · Moshe Dayan (1967-74) · Shimon Peres (1974-77) · Ezer Weizman (1977-80) · Menachem Begin (1980-81) · Ariel Sharon (1981-83) · Moshe Arens (1983-84) · Yitzhak Rabin (1984-90) · Yitzhak Shamir (1990) · Moshe Arens (1990-92) · Yitzhak Rabin (1992-95) · Shimon Peres (1995-96) · Yitzhak Mordechai (1996-99) · Ehud Barak (1999-2001) · Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (2001-02) · Shaul Mofaz (2002-06) · Amir Peretz (2006-07) · Ehud Barak (2007-date)

v • d • e Finance Ministers of Israel Eliezer Kaplan (1948-52) • Levi Eshkol (1952-63) • Pinchas Sapir (1936-68) • Ze'ev Sherf (1968-69) • Pinchas Sapir (1969-74) • Yehoshua Rabinovitz (1974-77) • Simha Erlich (1977-79) • Yigael Hurvitz (1979-81) • Yoram Aridor (1981-83) • Yigal Cohen-Orgad (1983-84) • Yitzhak Moda'i (1984-86) • Moshe Nissim (1986-88) • Shimon Peres (1988-90) • Yitzhak Shamir (1990) • Yitzhak Moda'i (1990-92) • Avraham Shochat (1992-96) • Dan Meridor (1996-97) • Benjamin Netanyahu (1997) • Yaakov Neeman (1997-98) • Benjamin Netanyahu (1998-99) • Meir Sheetrit (1999) • Avraham Shochat (1999-2001) • Silvan Shalom (2001-03) • Benjamin Netanyahu (2003-05) • Ehud Olmert (2005-06) • Avraham Hirschson (2006-07) • Roni Bar-On (2007-date)