Born March 1, 1922, in Jerusalem, Palestine (now in Israel),Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was a force for peace in the Middle East. He was assassinated on November 4, 1995, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

A member of the founding generation of the state of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin was a veritable study in contrasts. As a politician, he belonged to the liberal Labor Party yet held rather conservative views. As prime minister, he relied on his diplomatic skills to settle disputes over land he had once helped to conquer. And as an Israeli, he was a traditionalist who was nevertheless perceived by his countrymen as a symbol of change. Rabin's final years were spent pursuing the elusive goal of peace in the Middle East between Jews and Arabs after decades of violence and distrust on both sides. Ultimately, he, too, became a victim of that conflict when he was assassinated by a...