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Yitzhak Rabin
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Rabin, Yitzhak (1922-1996 ), Israeli political leader. Born in Jerusalem and educated in an agricultural school, Rabin fought with Palmach, a Jewish commando unit, against British authorities in Palestine. Jailed by the British in mid-1946, he was released in early 1947 and helped lead the defense of Jerusalem in the War of Independence (1947-1949). Rabin then rose through the ranks of the Israel Defense Forces, becoming chief of staff in 1964. After the Six-Day War (1967) he retired from the military and served as ambassador to the United States from 1968 to 1973. He entered the Knesset (parliament) as a Labor member in January 1974; by May he had succeeded Golda Meir as prime minister and party leader. In April 1977, after a series of scandals, he was forced to surrender his party leadership to Shimon Peres. As defense minister from 1984 to 1990, Rabin was responsible for carrying out Israel's hard-line response to the Palestinian uprisings known as the intifada. In February 1992 he replaced Peres as Labor party leader, and after elections in June Rabin again became prime minister. In 1993, after secret negotiations, Rabin agreed to the signing of a peace accord with the PLO. Rabin was shot dead in the streets of Tel Aviv in 1996.
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