read to him for fifteen minutes at a time. He became devastated when he realised the full extent of his condition. After about three years, he was never fully conscious, and he eventually went blind. Argov was deeply distressed that the attack on him had provoked the Lebanon war. In 1983, he dictated to a friend the following statement from his bed in Hadassah Hospital. The statement was later passed on to the Haaretz newspaper: "If those who planned the war had also foreseen the scope of the adventure, they would have spared the lives of hundreds of our best sons ... They brought no salvation ... Israel should go to war only when there is no alternative. Our soldiers should never go to war unless it is vital for survival. We are tired of wars. The nation wants peace." Death Argov died at Hadassah Hospital in 2003 aged 73 from the injuries inflicted in the attack. He had been paralysed and in permanent hospital care for 21 years. References External links Lebanon: A chronology of key events Israeli government's page on Argov 1929 births 2003 deaths Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni 20th-century Israeli Jews 21st-century Israeli Jews Ambassadors of Israel to Mexico Ambassadors of Israel to the Netherlands Ambassadors of Israel to the United Kingdom Assassinated Israeli diplomats Assassinated Jews Terrorist incidents in London Abu Nidal attacks 1982 in the United Kingdom Palestinian terrorist incidents in Europe Israeli people murdered abroad People murdered in England Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1982 Diplomats from Jerusalem Israeli consuls Ambassadors of Israel to Nigeria