Historical Figure
Yitzhak Rabin
1922–1995
Prime Minister of Israel (1974–1977; 1992–1995)
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Biography
Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli statesman and general who was the prime minister of Israel, having served two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until his assassination in 1995. He was the first prime minister to have been born in Palestine.
In Their Own Words (5)
I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.
Ratification of the Israel–Palestinian Interim Agreement Speech in the Knesset (5 October 1995) , 1995
Violence gnaws on the foundation of democracy. It must be condemned, denounced and Isolated.
Rabin's last speach , 1994
One does not make peace with one's friends. One makes peace with one's enemy.
On the road to peace, December 1993 , 1993
I, serial number 30743, Lieutenant General in reserves Yitzhak Rabin, a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces and in the army of peace, I, who have sent armies into fire and soldiers to their death, say today: We sail onto a war which has no casualties, no wounded, no blood nor suffering. It is the only war which is a pleasure to participate in — the war for peace.
Speech to the US Congress (26 July 1994) , 1994
We are destined to live together, on the same soil in the same land. We, the soldiers who have returned from battle stained with blood, we who have seen our relatives and friends killed before our eyes, we who have attended their funerals and cannot look into the eyes of their parents, we who have come from a land where parents bury their children, we who have fought against you, the Palestinians. We say to you today in a loud and clear voice: Enough of blood and tears. Enough. We have no desire for revenge. We harbor no hatred towards you. We, like you, are people who want to build a home, to plant a tree, to love, live side by side with you in dignity, in empathy, as human beings, as free men. We are today giving peace a chance and again saying to you in a clear voice: Enough.
Excerpts of PM Rabin Knesset Speech (21 September 1993) , 1993
Timeline
The story of Yitzhak Rabin, told in moments.
Commands the Harel Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He fights to keep the road to Jerusalem open. He's 26. After the armistice, he's involved in the negotiations that produce the ceasefire lines. He won't leave the military for another 20 years.
Appointed Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He overhauls the military and plans the strategy for what becomes the Six-Day War in June 1967. Israel captures the Sinai, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem in 132 hours.
Becomes Prime Minister of Israel for the first time after Golda Meir resigns in the wake of the Yom Kippur War. He's the first Israeli-born (sabra) prime minister. He resigns in 1977 over a minor financial scandal involving his wife's bank account.
Shakes hands with Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn, with Bill Clinton standing between them. The Oslo Accords. Rabin hesitates before extending his hand. Clinton nudges him forward. The photograph travels the world. Half of Israel celebrates. The other half seethes.
Shares the Nobel Peace Prize with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat. He accepts it without enthusiasm. He tells the committee: "Military cemeteries in every corner of the world are silent testimony to the failure of national leaders."
Shot twice in the back by Yigal Amir, a 25-year-old Israeli law student, at a peace rally in Tel Aviv's Kings of Israel Square. He's 73. Amir opposes the Oslo Accords and considers Rabin a traitor. The square is renamed Rabin Square. His blood-stained song sheet is preserved in a museum.
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