Born in
Jerusalem during the
Mandate era, Cohen joined the
Palmach in 1948 and fought in the
Arab-Israeli War in that year. He later studied at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the
University of Oxford. In 1953 he joined
Ahdut HaAvoda, and in
1965 was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment list (an alliance of Ahdut HaAvoda and
Mapai). He lost his seat in the
1969 elections. Outside politics he lectured on medieval and modern history at
Tel Aviv University, where he became a professor in 1976. Between 1983 and 1986 he served as dean of the Humanities Faculty at the university, before becoming a member of the
Council for Higher Education. ==References==