Menachem Begin served seven terms in the opposition and many people believed he would never rise to power. But not only did he not give up, he spoke up on every matter in mass demonstrations and in the Knesset. Begin was present in our political life, although in his era the opposition leader did not have an official status. It was no accident that when he finally gained power, a veteran at Mapai (the precursor to the Labor Party) used a biblical verse to describe him: "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again."
As a prominent opposition leader, Begin showed the government no mercy. When Shimon Peres once interrupted him during a speech at the Knesset, Begin shouted: "Sit down! I'll tell you when to interrupt."
The days of the giants are over...
However, Mr. Begin only succeeded to gain a parliamentary majority in 1977, the ninth time he ran for election.
He failed in the previous eight times:
1949, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1965, 1969 and 1973.
