Golda Meir Background

Golda Meir was born in Ukraine Russia in 1898. Anti-Semitism ran rampant during this period, and one of Golda’s first memories involve her father boarding up the windows of their house in the Jewish ghetto to protect against an angry mob (known as pogroms). Because of this danger Golda and her family moved to the United States. It was here that Golda was first introduced to Zionism as she became involved in the Zionist group Poale Zion, membership of which required Golda to commit to moving to Palestine at the age of 17 (a commitment she fulfilled in the spring of 1921). In 1921 Golda Meir, her husband Morris Meyerson, her sister and some friends moved to a kibbutz in Israel and from that point on her involvement in the Zionist movement and Israeli
This stubborn attitude and refusal to negotiate was the cause of much tension in the build up to the Six Day War. However, Golda herself was also stubborn, and when the Suez conflict broke out and Israel occupied the Sinai desert, Golda went to the US in order to negotiate, refusing to withdraw unless a peace agreement was drawn up with Egypt, “I have never believed in inflexibility except when Israel is concerned”. The pressure from the United States and Soviet Union forces Israel to eventually withdraw with the guarantee that a UNEF (United Nations Expeditionary Force) would shield the southern border as well as being allowed access to the Straits of Tiran. The eventual failure of these two guarantees were the main causes of the Six-Day War. Golda retired from Foreign Minister in 1966, and was not a part of the government during the course of the Six-Day War, however her work and achievements in the role did have an impact on the success of