(1922-1995) A Jewish
Israeli political and military figure. Prior to
Israel's establishment in 1948, Rabin served in the
Palmach unit of the Jewish paramilitary group
Haganah. Following many years in the military, Rabin was appointed Chief of Staff of the Israeli army in 1964 and oversaw Israeli military action during the
1967 War. A member of the Labor party, he served as Israeli Ambassador to the United States from 1968-1973. He then went on to become the first native-born Israeli Prime Minster, serving from 1974-1977 and a second term from 1992 until his assassination in 1995. Rabin was also Defense Minister from 1984-1990 during the
First Intifada, which he sought to crush militarily. His strategy during that period was characterized by the order for "force, might and beatings." In 1993, in his capacity as Prime Minister, Rabin launched the Oslo Process with the
Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman
Yasser Arafat. The two shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize along with
Shimon Peres. He later helped broker the 1994
Israeli-Jordanian Peace Treaty. Rabin was assassinated on November 4, 1995 by a Jewish extremist. See "
Remembering Rabin, Some See His Legacy Fading," Ethan Bronner, The New York Times, Oct 28, 2010.