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Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Yitzhak Rabin

Yitzhak Rabin was a famous statesman in Israel as he was active in the political scene. Born in 1922 to Jewish immigrants that came from Eastern Europe, the Israeli politician was the fifth prime minister of Israel and he served for two terms with the first one running from 1974 to 1977 and the second one running from 1992 to 1995. Before going into politics, he had a career in the military for 27 years.

Therefore, this article will look at the fascinating facts about Yitzhak Rabin and the Impact he had on the country and the people of Israel.

1. He won a Nobel Prize

Known as the soldier who went from armed forces to reconciliation, Yitzhak Rabin was awarded a Nobel peace prize in 1994 for efforts to foster peace in the Middle East. The share of the prize was a third as he won the awards with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres and a Palestinian leader known as Yasser Arafat.

Additionally, he got the award when he was the Prime Minister of Israel. This made him popular in the country and the international community.

2. He failed the entrance exam to the agricultural school

Yitzhak Rabin attended Worker’s Children School in Tel Aviv. He then proceeded to the Kadourie agricultural school. He almost did not manage to get admitted to the school after he failed the entrance exam. However, after getting admitted to the school, he achieved academic excellence which led him to a career in the military. He excelled in agricultural subjects and failed in languages as he considered English the language of the enemies.

3. He got married in the middle of the war

One interesting fact about Yitzhak Rabin is that he was married to his wife Leah. Yitzhak met his wife on the streets of Tel Aviv in 1944. They dated for four years and then got married. At the time of their wedding, there was a lull in the war. This is interesting in that most people would wait for the war to end and then get married but the prime minister got married during the war.

4. He did not join a Kibbutz

Unlike most of Israel’s founding generation, Yitzhak Rabin did not join the Kibbutz. This was a community that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first community known as Degania was established in 1909. The kibbutz featured communism and Zionism to ensure that the agricultural economy did well.
The reason for Yitzhak not joining is not explained but it is attributed to his solitary disposition.

5. He defied a direct order from David Ben Gurion

Yitzhak Rabin was among the group of officers who defied an order from the then prime minister David Ben Gurion which banned them from attending the Palmach Conference in 1949. This conference happened after the organization had been dismantled following the establishment of the Israel Defense Forces.

The prime minister feared that there would be a lack of government control and factionalism and thus banned soldiers from attending the conference. However, some high-level soldiers disobeyed and went to the conference. The officers received severe reprimands including Rabin.

6. He helped Jerusalem in the war for independence

The struggle for independence was a major facet of the 1948 war. Yitzhak Rabin being the head of the Harel Brigade, his job was to secure convoys that were critical in resupplying the city. This means that he was an important cog in ensuring that the war was won.

Additionally, he purchased new technologies and American weapons that ensured that the Israeli troops were prepared for large-scale operations. Having foreseen the possible outcomes he also created operational programs like the IDF doctrine that would ensure that they won the war.

7. He did not think much of Moshe Dayan

In a letter to Yigal Alon who was Rabin’s mentor and a deposed head of the Israeli military’s Southern Command in 1949, Yitzhak criticised Moshe Dayan who later became an influential military leader. Yitzhak felt that Moshe did not have any idea to mean that he thought he lacked military understanding beyond a battalion or a company.

8. He was the first native-born Israeli minister

Yitzhak Rabin boasts of being the first native-born Israeli minister. He struggled to ensure that Isreal existed as a nation and thus made him one of the most influential people in the country. He also formed and sustained good relationships with the United States of America that would ensure that they help the country’s economy and thus result in development.

9. He was assassinated

The prime minister was assassinated in November 1995 at the end 9f a rally that supported the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv. He was assassinated by an ultranationalist known as Yigal Amir.

After finishing the rally as he was walking down the city hall towards his car, Yigal approached the car from the back and fired two shots at the Prime Minister using a Beretta 84F. The bullets hit Yitzhak in the chest and abdomen. The Prime Minister’s bodyguards subdued Amir and in the process, he shot one bodyguard but he was slightly wounded. Yigal was then arrested by the police.

10. He developed the IDF fighting doctrine

Yitzhak Rabin joined the Palmach which was a Commando force of the Yishuv. While in the military he rose up the ranks and became the chief of operations in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war. He then joined the Israel Defense Forces and also rose in the ranks. He was instrumental in shaping the training doctrine of the force in the 1950s that gave Israel victory in the six-day war in 1967. The doctrine utilized the element of surprise to overpower the enemy.