Rabin: Action Biography

this quiet man this very private man now holds the most public job in Israel for ten months now he's been the Prime Minister for two months we were with him observing the life of Yitzhak Rabin his day normally begins at 7:00 in the morning and often goes past midnight for all this work Robin has a very small personal staff the office atmosphere is informal but businesslike Robin is a clean dust man reflecting the years of the organized discipline of his military life he's a sentry down and the combination between his speed reading and this on a little grasp of what he's reading it means that he's able to isolate the important from the less important Robin is the prime minister of what many think is the most difficult and complicated period in Israel's short history facing not only the problems of survival but the increasing social and economic pressures of a growing urban society the major problem is defense and the burden it imposes on the Israeli one of the highest tax persons in the world Robins labor coalition holds a slim majority in the Knesset or Parliament although elected for a four-year term his government could fall at any time if it loses a vote of confidence and its majority in the Knesset therefore our being must now above all be a politician before the talks with Egypt broke down last month Robin's ability as a politician was severely criticized by Menachem Bagan a leader of the Opposition in the Knesset let us remember mr. beam was never a member of the Knesset was a very short time member of the cabinet Labor Minister he just doesn't have that experience it's a very crucial time we have difficult problems may say he's a very young adept of policy and there's times are very complicated this lack of experience of course is telling robbing one such overwhelming popular support for his stand against Sadat an American pressure that his political leadership was firmly established even the opposition agreed this time we stand together in the defense of our people in this country I suppose this stand of the government in the rejection of the Egyptian demands is accepted by the overwhelming majority of our people that new popular support has strengthened those who had been arguing all along there are being might well be the right man at the right time for Israel but now is the time for a quiet analytical leader whose personality does not upstage the issues as we followed him on his busy schedule we flew to the southern region of a lot I'm one of Robins frequent trips to answer those who say that he's out of touch with the people and their problems he went to the timber copper mine which has been producing or since the days of King Solomon to check the economic impact of the falling price of copper by RC raaah being also visited several communal settlements in the area the children are the key Boots's treasure they are the commitment to the present and the hope for the future here they were the focus of attention and it was here there are being performed the symbolic act of faith in a growing Israel in here ravine was asked for help to attract more young settlers away from the cities much of his time is devoted to American visitors and cultivating support for Israel is the main effort robbing the prime minister speaks to an endless succession of lunches and dinners for leaders of fun campaigns in the United States who are brought to Israel to see how their money is spent and returned with a renewed dedication to collect even more Ravine sees members of Congress privately to discuss his problems in what Washington has learned is the Rabine manner blunt straight talk senators Daniel in a way in Charles Mathias of the Appropriations Committee probing Robin's request for two and a half million dollars in grants and loans Senator Charles Percy of the Foreign Relations Committee discussing the negotiations with Egypt a group of top American business executives on a Middle East fact-finding tour were received at a private dinner in Reubens official residence in Jerusalem they presented him with a crystal dove thank you very much I hope that it's not exactly adult and it's not exactly a whole Robyn's problems are seen in the context of other events by a soldier who did become a farmer general Ariel Sharon is the controversial hero who led the Israelis across the Suez Canal in the Yom Kippur War he's a friend of Robins but also has been one of his severus critics all this talks about the bounties that is I hope that death would not attract the minds of our government because we don't have to go foul we saw what happened to tie one we saw what's going on now in Vietnam just now in Cambodia what one can expect what are the guarantees the only guarantee that ourselves and when the guarantees are ourselves so we have to sit on the right places until we can achieve a real settlement Rabine has often been challenged on a degree of his dependency on the United States now virtually the only source of israel's military financial and political support it was said that because of this robbing was being pressured by Henry Kissinger in the negotiations with the Arabs before the talks broke down grubbing answered this accusation when we visited one of the focal points of the Middle East crisis the Mitla pass there is no commitment of the part of Israel to do what the United States will recommend is going to do we are independent state the future and the security of Israel depend on us and this government sees itself responsible for the fate the future and the security of this country and will do it only by our own conscience and according to our best judgment mr. Prime Minister about six months ago my colleague Peter Jennings walked on this side of the canal in the desert with president Sadat yes president Sadat why would seem to be just the pile of sand was so important to Egypt President Saddam has said it's because it's the motherland now why is this barren area so important to you this process as a matter of fact is a wall that can prevent very effectively any attempt by the Egyptian forces to move eastward towards Israel therefore this area is a key area to me in a wall it's an area that we must control if there is no peace if there is no elimination of the state of religion see the state of war if war does break out again most of the burden of survival will be borne by Israel sons on this same day we flew to another area deep in the Sinai desert for a very special occasion this day the Prime Minister was also a father a parent among parents in the spectator stand please don't it was the day you've all Robin received his commission as a tank officer in the armored force it's a great pleasure to see you son going to the military service to be graduated to become an officer in the tank role here in silent on the other hand while it's still sad that people had to devote so much of the resources their energy for what is not the really constructive purpose Prime Minister this program has been largely an assessment of you personally I would like to ask you to make a personal assessment - you have devoted perforce your life to the use of military force to achieve ends and done so very successfully is that not an inhibition on your changing your attitude now denying force applying conciliation and negotiating for peace by no means I think the fact that I served for such a long time into military service brings even more force for my determination to try to bring about peace because I was involved in the futile use of force that practically didn't bring the Middle East closer to peace President Ford said that the present stalemate is now unacceptable and that the United States would make a major new effort to bring peace in this area what initiatives do you foresee I believe peace will be achieved he first the countries of the area the Arab countries and Israel will come to the conclusion that the time is right to put an end to the war and to build the structure of peace and second if the major powers will put no responsibility on the parties to the conflict to be the parties for the peacemaking process I think it's time that the major powers will tell to the parties to the conflict it's your responsibility and to tell to president Sadat you have to make direct contacts with the Israelis because without direct contacts how really peace can be achieved we are engaged still in that reassessment of all foreign policy now you've made a very constructive proposal if someone asked you for counsel on how we should reassess policies would you have any other proposals - I would say first we have to have a cooling-off period I'm not talking about years I'm talking about few months might be few weeks in which all sides had to reassess their policy I think that the statement by the United States that the United States reassess its policy should not be interpreted first as a readiness to give in to the side that shows most stiffness in its position second it should not create hopes in the Arab minds that Israel and the United States are going apart because the only conclusion that can be taken by the Arab leaders as a result of such development which I hope will not happen is to harden their political position and might even lead it to the assumption that it's possible to go to war it's been said that you are inflexible and that you are not willing to take risks for peace in your negotiations with the Arabs how do you answer those accusations well by just asking the one that says so on what he bases such as such a such saying I believe that we had put through the good offices of the United States variety of options we were ready to a wider interim agreement we were ready to enter into peace agreement therefore saying that because of non-religion sea or the refusal of aging to end the state of the war the negotiations were broken it's not true in the area of what you have a very large and very secret nuclear installation at the moment does Israel have a tactical nuclear weapon or the ability to put one together on very short notice well first you assume something which I had to deny second what we have made clear that Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the arab-israeli conflict this was and this is our policy not clear what you were denying what you said you had to deny something he said I don't know what he mentioned since he said something about secret installations this is what I denied because I think it might be interpreted in the wrong wrong way do you have a tactical nuclear weapon no the reason we asked that I'm sure is because one would think that a small nation with its back to the wall would be prepared for the ultimate that it had to apply the other well no doubts Israel is ready to the ultimate for its defense but we believe that we live in an era in which we can do it with conventional weapons since the Palestine problem must be solved one day wouldn't it have been wise for Israel to negotiate with King Hussein when he held nominal sovereignty over the West Bank and not wait until the PLO now has attained ascendancy wasn't that a missed opportunity well one can say that the world missed opportunities in the last 27 years in moving towards peace I believe that a Palestinian issue can be solved in a context of negotiations between US and Jordan by the establishment in the former Palestine on the east and the west bank of the River Jordan Tuesday one Jordanian Palestinian state and west of it Jewish state it is to say Israel I believe that this is the real solution for the problem and I hope that once it will be achieved if a Geneva Conference does come about and the PLO does have representation at the conference what effect do you think that will have well Israel's position is very clear we would not see it and would not negotiate with terrorists organization representation in the Geneva Conference that mean you would not sit in any sector of the conference at all not attend I don't know what you are going to be the procedures what are going to be the ways of meetings what in what way the whole concept of Geneva conference will be will be worked out but are you saying there is a possibility that you would not attend the conference at all if the PLO sits in the conference I have said we would not negotiate with the representation of the terrorist organizations do you think that America's ability has been limited by the numberless upsets we faced lately do you think that America has been weakened to negotiate in the Middle East by these things well I cannot deny that in the eyes of certain people all over the globe the United States has lost in terms of its strengths the United States looks a little bit different than it was before but still I don't see anybody else who can do it better than the United States thank you very much mr. prime minister thank you indeed thank you to