Moshe Carmel

Moshe Carmel (Hebrew: משה כרמל, 17 January 1911 – August 14 2003) was an Israeli soldier and politician. He served as Minister of Transportation for eight years.

Background

Born in Mińsk Mazowiecki in central Poland, Carmel emigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1924 when he was 13 years old. He was a founding member of kibbutz Na'an, and was active in the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth movement. Between 1939 and 1941 he was imprisoned by the British authorities. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, he was commander of the Carmeli Brigade, which was especially known for Operation Hiram.

He was elected to the third Knesset in 1955 as a member of Ahdut HaAvoda and was appointed Minister of Transportation. He retained his seat in the 1959 and 1961 elections, and was reappointed Minister of Transportation towards the end of the fifth Knesset in 1965. When Ahdut HaAvoda merged with Mapai to form the Alignment, Carmel joined the new party and retained his ministerial post in the sixth Knesset.

Carmel remained a Knesset member until 1977, and published two books; Northern Campaigns (1949) and Between the Walls (1965)

External links

Moshe Carmel on the Knesset website

• Obituary The Guardian