Rabin, Yitzhak

(b. 1922)

   Israeli politician. Rabin was born in Jerusalem and educated in Palestine and at the Staff College in England. He commanded a brigade of the Palmach from 1943–8 through the War of Independence and was a representative of the Israeli Defence forces at the Rhodes armistice negotiation. He continued his army career, becoming commander-in-chief of the Northern Command in 1956, the head of the manpower branch in 1959, the deputy chief of staff in 1960 and the chief of staff from 1964–8. He must be therefore regarded as largely responsible for the great victory of the Six-Day War. In 1968 he became Israeli ambassador to the United States and in 1974 he was elected to the Knesset. From 1974–7 he was leader of the Labour Party and also prime minister in succession to Golda MEIR. He resigned as a result of a scandal: his wife had technically breached the currency regulations. In 1984, in the Labour-Likud coalition, he served as minister of defence. In 1992 he again became leader of the Labour Party and prime minister and under his government a peace settlement was negotiated with King HUSSEIN of Jordan, and with Yassir ARAFAT of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Generally regarded as a ‘hawk’ in foreign affairs, these settlements were a personal triumph. His memoirs appeared in 1979.