Prof. Shaul Mishal, one of the leading Hamas researchers who fought at Ammunition Hill, has passed away
Prof. Shaul Mishal, one of Israel's leading researchers of Palestinian and Arab politics and an expert on Hamas, has passed away at the age of 81. Mishal was a professor emeritus of political science at Tel Aviv University, fought in the battle for Ammunition Hill during the Six-Day War, and published numerous books and studies on Palestinian society and Hamas. He is survived by his partner and three children.
Prof. Shaul Mishal, one of Israel's leading researchers of Palestinian and Arab politics and an expert on Hamas, passed away yesterday (Tuesday) 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 the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, which later became Reichman University, and was one of the founders of the Center for the Study of Arab Society in Israel. During the Six-Day War, he fought as a machine gunner in Company B of Battalion 66 of the Paratroopers Brigade 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. 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 studied at Yale University. He is survived by his partner Ruthi and his three children, Yishai, Tamuz, and Tal. His brother is journalist Nissim Mishal. His funeral took place today at 14:00 at the Yarkon Cemetery, Sha'ar Hesed. The article includes quotes from an interview he gave in the ynet studio during Operation Protective Edge in August 2014, in which he referred to Hamas's firing capabilities and its standing in the Arab world.