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A lot of (mixed) thoughts about #Rabin politically. But the new kerfuffle about him, right before Yom Kippur, has me more focused on the question of how we judge people, whether we allow for change and growth and sometimes contrition, explicit or implicit.
2/ Yes, Rabin did/said some things I deplored (1988's "break their bones", Jan '93 deportations). Nor am I 100% convinced today that, had he lived, he would've gone all-in and agreed to what are now the accepted 2-state parameters - 67 lines, etc. However ...
3/Rabin was also able to evolve - even in his 70s - and, when he did, had the courage to back up his new convictions. Before we get to Oslo: Rabin basically said F* You to Likud, when they kicked & screamed that his gov relied on support of 2 parties representing the Arab public.
4/ Folks forget, too, that before Oslo, and early in its term, Rabin's coalition lifted the ban on meetings with PLO representatives, paving the way for his gov's recognition of the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/20/world/israeli-parliament-lifts-a-ban-on-plo-contacts.html#:~:text=The%20Israeli%20Parliament%20voted%20today,prohibiting%20Israelis%20from%20meeting%20P.L.O.
5/ Re Oslo: Many saw it as gateway to 2-state compromise; others saw it as a honey trap, delivering autonomous PA as a backdoor way to prevent full sovereignty. Rabin kept his cards close to his chest, so until there's archival material, we can only speculate about his end-game.
6/ But one thing can't be denied: Rabin broke important taboos - taking intense flak for dignifying and legitimizing the Palestinians as a people, for insisting that peace is possible, and for preaching diplomacy+compromise rather than an unending reliance on deterrence+victory.
7/ So while I don't think it's wrong to point out what Rabin did that's worthy of criticism (let's not deify him, he was a human, after all), ultimately, based on a belief in 2nd chances & redemption & teshuva, I give greater weight to where we end up than where we began.
