As it becomes increasingly obvious that the Oslo Accords which brought the PLO to power and laid the basis for the two-state plan was an historic mistake, Yitzhak Rabin’s responsibility for this unraveling disaster begs for reevaluation.

The difficulty is his enshrined status as a “hero” in Israeli society.

This re-examination, therefore, is divided into two parts: his military record and his political leadership.

In his early 20s, Rabin joined the Palmach, a pre-state militia associated politically with the Left, and, in 1945, he helped rescue Jewish refugees being held in the British detention camp at Atlit. In early spring of 1948, he commanded the Harel Brigade, tasked with defending Jerusalem and protecting convoys trying to break the siege.

During a battle near Kiryat Anavim in April, 1948, Rabin left to summon help and then went to Jerusalem to sleep, leaving his men in the field. According to military historian Uri Milstein, “Had Rabin not fled ... he could have and should have ... organized and led his [battle] shocked troops ... to [counter]attack ... and defeat the enemy... .” (The Rabin File, Gefen Publishers, Jerusalem, p.223)...