Moshe Arens (; 27 December 1925 – 7 January 2019) was an Israeli
aeronautical engineer, researcher, diplomat, and
Likud
Likud (, ), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement (), is a major Right-wing politics, right-wing, political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing par ...
politician. A member of the
Knesset
The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
between 1973 and 1992 and again from 1999 until 2003, he served as
Minister of Defense three times and once as
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
. Arens also served as the
Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and was a professor at the
Technion in
Haifa
Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
.
Early life and education
Arens was born in
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
, Lithuania, to a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family. His father was an industrialist and his mother was a dentist. When he was a year old, his family moved to
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
,
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
. where he attended elementary school. In 1939, Arens and his family emigrated to the United States, where his father had business interests. The family settled in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, where Arens attended
George Washington High School.
Arens was a leader in the
Betar
The Betar Movement (), also spelled Beitar (), is a Revisionist Zionism, Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky. It was one of several right-wing youth movements tha ...
youth movement, and during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
served in the
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
as a
technical sergeant
Technical sergeant is the name of three current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, and ...
. Following the
Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, Arens emigrated to Israel and joined the militant group
Irgun.
In 1951, he returned to the United States, and studied engineering at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
and aeronautical engineering at the
California Institute of Technology, where he was a student of
Qian Xuesen. He then worked for a time in the aircraft industry.
[Moshe Arens: Particulars]
Knesset website
Academic and research career
In 1957, Arens became professor of aeronautics at the
Technion, serving in this position until 1962. After retiring from the government, he devoted himself to researching and commemorating the story of the
Jewish Military Union (ŻZW), which fought alongside the better known
Jewish Combat Organization (ŻOB) in the
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Arens has written several articles and a book, ''Flags over the Warsaw Ghetto'', on the revolt. The book has been published in Hebrew, Polish, and English.
Arens was chairman of the International Board of Governors of
Ariel University Center of Samaria
Ariel University (), previously a public college known as the Ariel University Center of Samaria, is an Israeli university located in the urban Israeli settlement of Ariel (city), Ariel in the West Bank.
The college preceding the establishment o ...
.
[ He was also a columnist for ]Haaretz
''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
newspaper.
Political career
After the Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...
, Arens entered politics and was elected to the Knesset
The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
as a member of Likud
Likud (, ), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement (), is a major Right-wing politics, right-wing, political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing par ...
in the 1973 elections. After being re-elected in 1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
, he became chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He voted against the Camp David Accords and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty
The Egypt–Israel peace treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., United States, on 26 March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The Egypt–Israel treaty was signed by Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minist ...
. In 1980, Prime Minister Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel.
Before the creation of the state of Isra ...
offered Arens the post of Minister of Defense, but he turned it down due to his disagreement over the terms of the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty. Arens did not oppose peace with Egypt, but was opposed to certain aspects of the treaty, and thus did not want to have to oversee Israel's evacuation from the Sinai.[
He was re-elected again in re-elected again in 1981, but resigned from the Knesset on 19 January 1982 when appointed ambassador to the United States. At this point, he brought his young protégé, ]Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
, then 32, to work for him in Washington. He returned to Israel in February 1983 after being appointed Minister of Defense, replacing Ariel Sharon, who had been forced out of office following the Kahan Commission's report on the Sabra and Shatila massacre. He was re-elected in 1984, but was only appointed Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...
. After another re-election in 1988 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs (with Netanyahu his deputy), and in 1990 returned to the Defense portfolio.
After Likud lost the 1992 elections, Arens retired from politics. He returned in 1999, however, to challenge Netanyahu for the Likud leadership. Although he won only 18% of the vote, Netanyahu appointed him Minister of Defense, replacing Yitzhak Mordechai, who had left Likud to establish the Centre Party. Although Arens returned to the Knesset after the 1999 elections, Likud lost the elections and he left the cabinet. He lost his seat for the final time in 2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
.
Arens questioned the wisdom of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Israeli procurement, given the neglected state of Israeli ground forces. In an article for Fathom Journal, Arens stated that he was a critic of unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
and Gaza, accusing its proponents of suffering from "unilateral withdrawal syndrome".
Personal life
While living in the United States, Arens married Muriel F. Eisenberg from New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, and she moved to Israel with him. The couple had four children, two boys and two girls: Yigal, Aliza, Raanan, and Ruth.[ Arens died on 7 January 2019 at the age of 93. Streets in Ramla, ]Herzliya
Herzliya ( ; , / ) is an affluent List of Israeli cities, city in the Israeli coastal plain, central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it had a populatio ...
and Beit Shemesh are named after him.
Published works
*''Optimum staging of cruising aircraft''. Haifa: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautical Engineering, 1959.
*''Some requirements for the efficient attainment of range by air-borne vehicles''. Haifa: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautical Engineering, 1959.
*''A hypersonic ramjet using a normal detonation wave''. Jerusalem: Weizmann Science Press of Israel, 1960.
*''Moshe Arens, Statesman and Scientist Speaks Out''. (With Merill Simon) New York: Dean Books, 1988.
*''Broken covenant: American foreign policy and the crisis between the U.S. and Israel''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.
*''Flags Over the Warsaw Ghetto: The Untold Story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising''. Jerusalem: Gefen, 2011.
*''In Defense of Israel: A Memoir of a Political Life''. Washington DC: Brookings, 2018.
Awards and recognition
In 1971, Arens won the Israel Defense Prize. In 2016, Nefesh B'Nefesh awarded him the Bonei Zion Prize.
References
Further reading
*''Moshe Arens, statesman and scientist, speaks out'', Merrill Simon, with a foreword by Daniel K. Inouye; edited by Judith Featherman. Middle Island, N.Y.: Dean Books, 1988.
External links
*
Charlie Rose – Moshe Arens
Moshe Arens
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arens, Moshe
1925 births
2019 deaths
20th-century Lithuanian Jews
21st-century American Jews
Academic staff of Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Ambassadors of Israel to the United States
American emigrants to Israel
American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
Ariel University
Betar members
Bonei Zion Prize recipients
California Institute of Technology alumni
Diplomats from Kaunas
Engineers from Kaunas
George Washington Educational Campus alumni
Irgun members
Israel Defense Prize recipients
Israeli educators
Jewish Israeli politicians
Israeli writers
Jewish American scientists
Likud politicians
Lithuanian emigrants to the United States
Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977)
Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981)
Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984)
Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988)
Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992)
Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003)
Ministers of defense of Israel
Ministers of foreign affairs of Israel
MIT School of Engineering alumni
Moskowitz Prize for Zionism laureates
United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel
United States Army personnel of World War II
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Lithuanian Zionists
Ministers without Portfolio of Israel