In 1974 recording, Rabin says only diplomacy, leaning on military might, can bring peace

The Defense Ministry’s IDF archive has released a never-before-heard recording of late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin from a 1974 discussion with top military leaders.

It does so on the occasion of the national Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day, on the Hebrew date of his assassination in November 1995.

Rabin was at the time prime minister in his first term in office (1974-1977). In the recording, he is heard speaking about Israel’s various conflicts.

“In the Arab-Israeli conflict, I do not see a possibility of reaching a solution through military means… If there’s any chance — and I’m not certain there is one — to reach a solution, it’s only through diplomatic negotiations,” he says.

At the same time, Rabin says such negotiations “must lean on military might, as without military might there will be no diplomacy.”