Shlomo Argov
Shlomo Argov, Hebrew: שלמה ארגוב , (December 14, 1929 – February 23, 2003) was a well-known Israeli diplomat. He was the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom. On 3 June, 1982 three Palestinians tried to kill Shlomo Argov. This was a cause of the 1982 Lebanon War.
Shlomo Argov | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 December 1929 |
| Died | 23 February 2003 (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Spouse(s) | Hava |
| Children | Gideon, Yehudit and Edna |
Early life and education
Argov was born in Jerusalem in 1929. His family had lived in Jerusalem for seven generations. As a teenager, he joined the Palmach, the elite force of the Haganah. During the 1947-1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, he was wounded in the Battle of Safed. When Israel was established and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War began, Argov joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[1]
In 1950, he completed his military service and went to the United States to study. In 1952 he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Georgetown University. While studying, he worked part-time at the Israeli Embassy. In this time he met his future wife Hava. Afterwards, he went to study in the United Kingdom. In 1955 he received a Master of Arts in international relations from the London School of Economics.
Personal life
Argov had three children with his wife Hava: son Gideon and daughters Yehudit and Edna. Hava died in May 2002.[1]
Attempted assassination
On 3 June 1982, three men, Hussein Ghassan Said, Marwan al-Banna, and Nawaf al-Rosan came close to Argov when he got into his car after a party at the Dorchester Hotel, in Park Lane, London.[2] There is another report that says that four men were coming close to Shlomo Argov.[3] Said shot Argov in the head. Argov was not killed, but he was badly injured.[3] He was taken to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery very rapidly, and he was taken to a specialist unit and the surgeons did an emergency brain surgery on him . He remained in a coma for three months. Argov was the second of two Israeli diplomats who were attacked in just a month. This was given as the reason for Israel attacking Lebanon in 1982.[4]
Later life
Argov recovered from his coma and was returned to Israel. There, he was placed in Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem as a permanent patient.[2][5] Though he could not move, he could clearly understand what was going on around him.[6]
Death
Argov died at Hadassah Hospital in 2003 aged 73 from the injuries in the attack.[2] He had been paralysed and was placed in permanent hospital care for 21 years.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Shlomo Argov". MFA. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Joffe, Lawrence (25 February 2003). "Obituary: Shlomo Argov". guardian.co.uk (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/feb/25/israelandthepalestinians.lebanon. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sam Katz (25 July 1985). Armies in Lebanon 1982–84. Osprey Publishing. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-85045-602-8. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ↑ Avigdor Kahalani, A Warrior's Way (New York: S.P.I. Books, 1994), pp. 300–301
- ↑ Paul Lashmar and Shraga Elam (19 June 1999). MI5 was feuding with Mossad while known terrorists struck in London. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/mi5-was-feuding-with-mossad-while-known-terrorists-struck-in-london-1101024.html. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
- ↑ "Shlomo Argov". The Telegraph. 24 February 2003. Retrieved 2013-01-16.