Amos Horev
Encyclopedia
Amos Horev is an Israeli former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) major-general, Chief of Ordnance and subsequently Quartermaster General and Chief Scientist of the IDF, military expert, nuclear scientist, President of Technion University, and Chairman of Rafael.
Horev has served on and headed a number of government commissions of inquiry. The Commission of Inquiry he headed that investigated the events of the Ma'alot massacre
listed a number of mistakes that it concluded were the responsibility of the Israeli political or security echelons. He also chaired the Horev Committee, which examined problems caused by divisions between the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency. That committee recommended dismantling the government's Ministry of Absorption, a suggestion which met with strong government opposition.
In June 2010, he was appointed to the Israeli special independent Turkel Commission of Inquiry into the Gaza flotilla raid
.
He joined the Haganah
at the age of 14, and at 17 left high school to join the Palmach
. At the age of 19 Horev was commissioned as an officer, then promoted to platoon commander, and then company commander. He commanded the Palmach's H (Jerusalem) Company before leaving to study at Technion University. He was subsequently recalled and appointed commander of Jerusalem's Zone 5, which included the business district. When the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states, one of Horev's tasks was to run convoys to supply Jewish areas of Jerusalem that had been cut off. During the Israeli War of Independence, he was an Operations Officer, and was instrumental in creating the Burma Road
, Israel's lifeline to Jerusalem during the Siege of Jerusalem
. He was Deputy Commander of the 6th Palmach Battalion, second to Yitzhak Rabin
. During the war, he figured out how to adapt American-made Sherman M4 tanks to local terrain, turning them into M50 Super Sherman
s that remained in IDF service until the Yom Kippur War.
Remembering that time, he said:
Horev attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
after the war, completing his BA and a master's in mechanical engineering
.
In the 1973 Yom Kippur War
, as the fighting ended, during a night along the trenches of the Egypt's Third Army, he discovered and dragged out of his tank the dead body of his son-in-law, a tank commander. In 1979 Horev was reported as saying "I am still involved with Israel's nuclear research and all I can say is that we have the capability -- but will never be the first to use nuclear arms against any country".http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=er4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6e4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2438,4925851&dq=amos-horev+first-to-use&hl=en
Horev continues to serve in a senior advisory roles to the defense establishment.
Horev was the first Israeli-born President of Haifa's Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology, appointed in 1973. The medical and science institute has been called Israel's equivalent of MIT. He noted that many Technion students recently completed mandatory military service, and had a sense of discipline about their studies not found among college students in other countries.
In 1980, he proposed that Egyptian science and technology graduates study for higher degrees at Israel's Technion University, and that Egypt use Technion's research and testing facilities. Horev completed his tenure as President of the University in 1982.
He continued to serve as President of the Israel Technion Society and as Deputy Chairman of the International Board of Governors of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Horev is optimistic about Israel's technological future.
Horev has also served as director of Beit Shemesh Engines, IGUD Investments Enterprise (a subsidiary of Union Bank
), the Dan Hotels
Corporation, Orad Hi-Tec Systems, and Elscint
, an Israeli high-tech company. He is also a former president of the Bank Leumi
Investment Company, and a past chairman of Biodan Medical Systems. He also led a government commission on manpower requirements, and served as Chairman of the Government Committee for the Nuclear Power Program.
In May 2008 Horev stated that he supported a two-state solution
to the Palestinian–Israeli conflict, which contemplates Israel remaining a Jewish state, and the establishment of another Arab state to solve the conflict.
, where Israeli commandos sought to release children held as hostages by Arab terrorists, and 22 of the children were killed by the terrorists in the action. His Commission Report listed a number of mistakes that were the responsibility of the Israeli political or security echelons, as well as recommendations.
Horev was appointed Chairman of the independent public 10-member Horev Committee by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
and the chairman of the Jewish Agency, Yosef Almogi
, in December 1975. The Committee examined, on behalf of the Israeli government and the Agency, the problems caused by the divisions between the government and the agency in regard to immigration and absorption. After committee heard from 90 witnesses, and handed in an 80-page report to Rabin and Almogi. The committee recommended dismantling the Ministry of Absorption, and transferring the total responsibility for immigration and absorption to the Agency. While the Executive Committee of the Agency approved the change, it met with strong government opposition. At that point in time Labor lost the 1977 election to Menachim Begin's Likud
, and the recommendation was not acted upon.
After the 1985 Sabra and Shatila massacre
, he said: "Certainly the case demands an investigation.... There must be an investigation."
.
The Commission will investigate whether Israel's actions in preventing the arrival of ships in Gaza were in accordance with international law
. It will focus among other things on the security considerations for imposing a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and the conformity of the naval blockade with the rules of international law; the conformity of the actions during the raid to principles of international law; and the actions taken by those who organized and participated in the flotilla, and their identities.
Also on the Commission is former Israeli Supreme Court Justice, Jacob Turkel
and two other members, Miguel Deutch and Reuven Merchav, added in July 2010. Shabtai Rosenne
, Bar Ilan University Professor of International Law, also served on the Commission from its establishment until his death on 21 September 2010. In addition, the Commission has two foreign observers, former First Minister
of Northern Ireland
David Trimble, and former head of the Canadian military's judiciary, Judge Advocate General
Ken Watkin
, who will take part in hearings and discussions, but not vote on the final conclusions.
Horev has served on and headed a number of government commissions of inquiry. The Commission of Inquiry he headed that investigated the events of the Ma'alot massacre
Ma'alot massacre
The Ma'alot massacre was a terrorist attack which included a two-day hostage-taking of 115 people which ended in the deaths of over 25 hostages. It began when three armed Palestinian terrorists of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine entered Israel from Lebanon...
listed a number of mistakes that it concluded were the responsibility of the Israeli political or security echelons. He also chaired the Horev Committee, which examined problems caused by divisions between the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency. That committee recommended dismantling the government's Ministry of Absorption, a suggestion which met with strong government opposition.
In June 2010, he was appointed to the Israeli special independent Turkel Commission of Inquiry into the Gaza flotilla raid
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Early life
Horev's father's surname was Suhatchover. His parents immigrated to Israel from Warsaw, Poland, in 1919, two years after the Balfour Declaration. His parents later realized that had they not left, they would likely have been killed by the Nazis, as were many of their relatives who stayed.He joined the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
at the age of 14, and at 17 left high school to join the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
. At the age of 19 Horev was commissioned as an officer, then promoted to platoon commander, and then company commander. He commanded the Palmach's H (Jerusalem) Company before leaving to study at Technion University. He was subsequently recalled and appointed commander of Jerusalem's Zone 5, which included the business district. When the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states, one of Horev's tasks was to run convoys to supply Jewish areas of Jerusalem that had been cut off. During the Israeli War of Independence, he was an Operations Officer, and was instrumental in creating the Burma Road
Burma Road (Israel)
The Israeli "Burma Road" was a makeshift bypass road between the general vicinity of kibbutz Hulda and Jerusalem. It was built by Israeli forces headed by general Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem...
, Israel's lifeline to Jerusalem during the Siege of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (1948)
The Battle for Jerusalem occurred from 30 November 1947 to 11 June 1948 when Jewish and Arab population of Mandatory Palestine and later Israeli and Jordanian armies fought for the control of the city....
. He was Deputy Commander of the 6th Palmach Battalion, second to Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
. During the war, he figured out how to adapt American-made Sherman M4 tanks to local terrain, turning them into M50 Super Sherman
M50 Super Sherman
The Sherman M-50 and the Sherman M-51, both known abroad as the Super Sherman, were modified versions of the American M4 Sherman tank that served with the Israel Defense Forces from the mid-1950s to early 1980s. The M-51 was also referred to as the Isherman...
s that remained in IDF service until the Yom Kippur War.
Remembering that time, he said:
Horev attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
after the war, completing his BA and a master's in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
.
Later military career
Horev established and directed the IDF Department for Weapons Development, and then served as the IDF's Chief of Ordnance/Armaments Division (1954–62) and later as Chief of Logistics and Chief Scientist.In the 1973 Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
, as the fighting ended, during a night along the trenches of the Egypt's Third Army, he discovered and dragged out of his tank the dead body of his son-in-law, a tank commander. In 1979 Horev was reported as saying "I am still involved with Israel's nuclear research and all I can say is that we have the capability -- but will never be the first to use nuclear arms against any country".http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=er4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6e4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2438,4925851&dq=amos-horev+first-to-use&hl=en
Horev continues to serve in a senior advisory roles to the defense establishment.
President of Technion
In 1980, he proposed that Egyptian science and technology graduates study for higher degrees at Israel's Technion University, and that Egypt use Technion's research and testing facilities. Horev completed his tenure as President of the University in 1982.
He continued to serve as President of the Israel Technion Society and as Deputy Chairman of the International Board of Governors of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Horev is optimistic about Israel's technological future.
Corporate and government positions
In 1995, Rabin asked Horev to become Chairman of the Board of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Israeli Ministry of Defense's armament development authority, following many years in which Horev had served as chairman of Rafael's advisory committee. He served as Chairman until January 2001.Horev has also served as director of Beit Shemesh Engines, IGUD Investments Enterprise (a subsidiary of Union Bank
Union Bank of Israel
The Union Bank of Israel, Ltd., more widely known by its Hebrew name, Bank Igud, pronounced Eegude, is the sixth largest Israeli bank with thirty branches spread around the country. The bank complies with the ramifications of loans and interest in Judaism.Zeev Abeles is the chairman of the board...
), the Dan Hotels
Dan Hotels
Dan Hotels is a chain of Israeli luxury hotels established in 1947. The chain owns 14 hotels with 3,669 rooms, a convention center and a hotel training center. -History:...
Corporation, Orad Hi-Tec Systems, and Elscint
Elscint
Elscint Ltd. was an Israeli technology company that development, manufacture and sold medical imaging solutions, including: Nuclear medicine, computed tomography magnetic resonance imaging and X-ray scanners. Elscint's shares traded on the NASDAQ as well as on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. At its...
, an Israeli high-tech company. He is also a former president of the Bank Leumi
Bank Leumi
Bank Leumi is an Israeli bank. It was founded in London as the Anglo Palestine Company on February 27, 1902, by members of the Zionist movement to promote the industry, construction, agriculture, and infrastructure of Palestine.-History:...
Investment Company, and a past chairman of Biodan Medical Systems. He also led a government commission on manpower requirements, and served as Chairman of the Government Committee for the Nuclear Power Program.
Political views
Two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the consensus solution that is currently under discussion by the key parties to the conflict, most recently at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007...
to the Palestinian–Israeli conflict, which contemplates Israel remaining a Jewish state, and the establishment of another Arab state to solve the conflict.
Commissions of inquiry
Horev headed a Commission of Inquiry in May 1975 that investigated the events of the May 1974 Ma'alot massacreMa'alot massacre
The Ma'alot massacre was a terrorist attack which included a two-day hostage-taking of 115 people which ended in the deaths of over 25 hostages. It began when three armed Palestinian terrorists of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine entered Israel from Lebanon...
, where Israeli commandos sought to release children held as hostages by Arab terrorists, and 22 of the children were killed by the terrorists in the action. His Commission Report listed a number of mistakes that were the responsibility of the Israeli political or security echelons, as well as recommendations.
Horev was appointed Chairman of the independent public 10-member Horev Committee by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
and the chairman of the Jewish Agency, Yosef Almogi
Yosef Almogi
Yosef Aharon Almogi was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1955 and 1977, as well as holding several ministerial posts.-Biography:...
, in December 1975. The Committee examined, on behalf of the Israeli government and the Agency, the problems caused by the divisions between the government and the agency in regard to immigration and absorption. After committee heard from 90 witnesses, and handed in an 80-page report to Rabin and Almogi. The committee recommended dismantling the Ministry of Absorption, and transferring the total responsibility for immigration and absorption to the Agency. While the Executive Committee of the Agency approved the change, it met with strong government opposition. At that point in time Labor lost the 1977 election to Menachim Begin's Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
, and the recommendation was not acted upon.
After the 1985 Sabra and Shatila massacre
Sabra and Shatila massacre
The Sabra and Shatila massacre took place in the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon between September 16 and September 18, 1982, during the Lebanese civil war. Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were massacred in the camps by Christian Lebanese Phalangists while the camp...
, he said: "Certainly the case demands an investigation.... There must be an investigation."
Turkel Commission
On June 14, 2010, Horev was appointed to the Israeli special independent public Turkel Commission of Inquiry into the Gaza flotilla raidGaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The Commission will investigate whether Israel's actions in preventing the arrival of ships in Gaza were in accordance with international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
. It will focus among other things on the security considerations for imposing a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and the conformity of the naval blockade with the rules of international law; the conformity of the actions during the raid to principles of international law; and the actions taken by those who organized and participated in the flotilla, and their identities.
Also on the Commission is former Israeli Supreme Court Justice, Jacob Turkel
Jacob Turkel
Jacob Turkel is an Israeli judge, and former Supreme Court of Israel Justice.His family immigrated to Israel in 1933 from Vienna, Austria. Turkel served as a judge for 38 years, a decade of that time on the Israeli Supreme Court...
and two other members, Miguel Deutch and Reuven Merchav, added in July 2010. Shabtai Rosenne
Shabtai Rosenne
Shabtai Rosenne , formerly known as Sefton Wilfred David Rowson was a Professor of International Law and an Israeli diplomat....
, Bar Ilan University Professor of International Law, also served on the Commission from its establishment until his death on 21 September 2010. In addition, the Commission has two foreign observers, former First Minister
First Minister and deputy First Minister
The First Minister and the Deputy First Minister , sometimes abbreviated to FM/DFM, are positions in the Northern Ireland...
of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
David Trimble, and former head of the Canadian military's judiciary, Judge Advocate General
Judge Advocate General (Canada)
The Office of the Judge Advocate General for the Canadian Forces provides legal advice to commanders at bases and wings, provides lawyers who defend accused persons at courts martial, teaches courses to other CF members or advises a commanding officer in an operational theatre to uphold the ethical...
Ken Watkin
Ken Watkin
Brigadier General Kenneth "Ken" Watkin, OMM, CD, QC was Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Forces from 2006 to 2010. He is an expert on military law....
, who will take part in hearings and discussions, but not vote on the final conclusions.