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November 17: Abba Eban
lawrencebush
November 17, 2010
Israel’s peerless diplomat, Abba Eban, died on this date in 2002. The South African-born politician, fluent in ten languages, served as ambassador to the United Nations during Israel’s first decade of independence and evoked in Jews great pride in his eloquence, intelligence, and general liberality. Eban, who was generally dovish on land-for-peace issues, played a key role in crafting UN Resolutions 242 and 338, which all-but-outlined a Mideast peace agreement after the 1967 Six Day War but was rejected by the Palestinian leadership until 1993. He also wrote several popular histories, including My People: The Story of the Jews (1968) and Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (1984), which was adapted for television in a series that he hosted. (His signature indicates his last name to be “Eben,” but everyone seems to spell it Eban.)
“I think that this is the first war in history that on the morrow the victors sued for peace and the vanquished called for unconditional surrender.” —Abba Eben
