| Rabin, Yitzhak (1922-) |
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His military career
began in 1940 when he joined the "Palmach", the elite unit of the Haganah.
During the War of Independence (1948-1949), he commanded the Harel Brigade,
deployed on the Jerusalem front. For the next 20 years, he served with
the IDF as O.C. Northern Command (1956-1959); as Chief of Operations and
Deputy Chief of Staff (1959-1964) and as Chief of Staff (1964-1968), commanding
the IDF during the Six-Day War. In the spring of 1973, Rabin returned to Israel and became active in the Labour Party. He was elected Member of the Knesset in December 1973 and when Golda Meir formed her government in April 1974, was appointed Minister of Labour. On June 2, 1974, the Knesset expressed confidence in a new government headed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. During Rabin's premiership,
the government placed special emphasis on strengthening the economy, solving
social problems and reinforcing the IDF. In June 1976, Rabin's government issued the order for "Operation Entebbe", liberating the hijacked Air France passengers. Following the May 1977 elections, and until the formation of the National Unity Government in September 1984, Rabin served as a Knesset Member of the Labour Party in opposition and was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. In the National
Unity Governments (1984-1990), Rabin served as Minister of Defense. In
January 1985, he presented the proposal for the withdrawal of IDF forces
from Lebanon and the establishment of a security zone to guarantee peace
to the settlements along Israel's northern border. In July 1992, Rabin formed Israel's 25th government and became its 11th Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and acting Minister of Religious Affairs and Labour and Social Affairs. Rabin's biographical book, "Service Notebook", was published in 1979 and was translated into English and French. His book on Lebanon, written after Operation "Peace for Galilee", was published in 1983. From Les Prix Nobel 1994. Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in November 4, 1995. |