Yitzhak Rabin Knew What Netanyahu Doesn't

"As the U.S. Middle East envoy at the time, I worked closely with Rabin, who remains the most intellectually honest leader I've known. He knew what his present-day successor fails to see: When Israel ignores the concerns of Palestinians, the country undermines its own security. He was the rare Israeli statesman who understood that Israel can advance its interests and address the Palestinian cause at the same time."

"But he had the courage to admit his mistakes. I remember when he came to Washington in December 1988 and said that Israel's military could quickly put down an emerging Palestinian uprising. I disagreed, warning that Palestinians' frustrations could not simply be suppressed. Rabin later told me I was right. He had come to understand that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had no military solution-only a political one."

"Although Rabin could be stubborn, he adjusted his thinking when the situation demanded it. He was deeply suspicious of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its head, Yasser Arafat, who had been responsible for much terror and Israeli bloodshed. But Rabin came to see that no one else could represent the Palestinian people. He authorized secret peace talks with the PLO and then negotiated the Oslo Accords, which resulted in mutual recognition between the Israeli government and the PLO, and turned over incremental parts of the"

Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated on November 4, 1995, after leading peace efforts. He believed that ignoring Palestinian concerns undermines Israeli security and that political solutions, not military force, were required. Rabin adjusted his positions when evidence showed he was wrong and admitted mistakes. He came to accept that the Palestine Liberation Organization was the representative of the Palestinian people and authorized secret talks that produced the Oslo Accords and mutual recognition. Rabin sought to advance Israeli interests while addressing the Palestinian cause. Many contemporary Israeli leaders continue to reject his core insight that politics, not force, is the solution.

Read at The Atlantic