Eshkol, Levi (1895–1969)

Israeli politician, prime minister 1963–69. A prominent Zionist and member of the centre-left Mapai party (the Israeli Labour party), he served as minister of agriculture 1951–52, finance minister 1952–63, and as prime minister and defence minister 1963–69, transferring the latter post to Moshe Dayan during the Arab–Israeli Six-Day War of 1967. Eshkol established diplomatic relations with West Germany and was also the first Israeli leader to visit the USA. Despite internal political difficulties 1964–65, he remained prime minister until his death.

Born in the Ukraine and educated at the Hebrew Gymnasium in Vilna (modern-day Vilnius, Lithuania), Eshkol emigrated to Palestine in 1914 where he worked on agricultural settlements. After Israeli independence in 1948, he supervised the founding of several hundred new villages to absorb immigrants.