Professor Shaul Mishal, a veteran of the Battle of Ammunition Hill, has passed away at the age of 81
Mishal was a professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University, a leading expert on Hamas, and a lecturer at Harvard and Yale. He fought as a paratrooper in the trenches of Ammunition Hill during the Six-Day War.
Professor Shaul Mishal, one of the leading researchers of Palestinian and Arab politics in Israel and an expert on Hamas and the Palestinian arena, has passed away at the age of 81.
Mishal was a professor emeritus of political science at Tel Aviv University, served as head of the Middle East Division at Reichman University, and was one of the founders of the Center for the Study of Arab Society in Israel.
Throughout decades of academic activity, he published numerous books and studies on Palestinian society, Hamas, and Middle Eastern politics, and also served as a researcher and lecturer at Yale and Harvard universities.
A veteran of Ammunition Hill
During the Six-Day War, Mishal fought as a machine gunner in Company B of the 66th Paratrooper Battalion in the fierce battle for Ammunition Hill. He was in the first squad that fought in the trenches of the Jordanian outpost, alongside the late Eitan Naveh, who was later awarded the Medal of Valor, and was one of the soldiers who survived the battle. The experiences of the battle and the comrades who fell in it stayed with him throughout his life.
Professional and personal path
Mishal was born in Baghdad in 1945 and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1951. He completed his doctorate in political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and later pursued further studies at Yale University. His research over the years made him one of the most prominent voices in Israel in the study of Palestinian society, Hamas, and Arab politics.
Professor Mishal is survived by his partner Ruthie and his three children – Ishai, Tamuz, and Tal. His brother is the journalist and media personality Nissim Mishal.
