Yisrael Granit

Yisrael Granit was born in 1928 in Beit She'an

Granit was born in Beisan, today Beit She'an, to Yitzhak and Edit Grinker. His grandparents were among the founders of Yesud HaMa'ala. He grew up in Nahalal and Kiryat Amal and studied at a technical school in Haifa.

He joined the Haganah in 1946 and the Palmach in May 1948, fighting in the Negev Brigade during the War of Independence. He later commanded the Golani reconnaissance unit and armored battalions, including in the Sinai War. He then studied industrial engineering and management at the Technion.

In the Six-Day War he led Granit Force in northern Sinai, which took Qantara and reached the Suez Canal. He then headed the officers school, which moved to Mitzpe Ramon in his time. In the Yom Kippur War he was chief of staff of Division 252, and his son Micha was killed in the fighting on the Syrian front.

He headed the organization department of the Labor Party from 1969 to 1973 and lost the race for party secretary-general in 1974. He was CEO of Ayalon Highways from 1975 to 1976 and a founder of Dash. He was later part of the Democratic Movement and ran on the Telem list.

He was married to Ruti, who died in 2017. He died on September 12, 2022, and was buried beside her in Ramla.