Moshe Dwek

Who is Moshe Dwek?

Moshe Dwek is an Israeli most notable for throwing a hand grenade in the Knesset while it was in session in 1957 and for a failed run for the Knesset in 1988.

Moshe Dwek was born in Aleppo, Syria, to a Jewish family. At the age of 13, he was part of a group of Jewish boys that immigrated to Mandate Palestine. He initially lived on kibbutz Dorot, then on kibbutz Glil Yam. He fought in the Israeli War of Independence. In 1950, his parents and siblings immigrated to Israel.

On October 29, 1957, while the Knesset was in session, Dwek, who was standing on a balcony, threw a grenade he had stolen from the army into the chamber. The grenade exploded and seriously injured rabbi Haim-Moshe Shapira of the National Religious Party. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Foreign Minister Golda Meir, and Transport Minister Moshe Carmel were injured by shrapnel. The grenade that Moshe Dwek threw had been intended for Ben-Gurion and Meir. Dwek later asked Shapira for forgiveness

The incident was allegedly prompted by Dwek's inability to receive national insurance for his declining health, and was apparently not prompted by larger political issues.