The aftermath of the Yom Kippur War brought about an earthquake
in Israeli politics and the Jewish world in general. Instead,
Israel found itself in a terrible situation: isolated
diplomatically, weighed down under tremendous economic pressures
and fearful of a new wave of anti-Semitism that swept the world.
When Yasser Arafat appeared before the United Nations and put
his gun on the table, and the whole world stood up and cheered,
it was a frightening moment for the Jewish people. The Israeli
government in charge during the Yom Kippur War, including Golda
Meir and Moshe Dayan, had to resign. They had been heroes –
legends. But now that whole generation was discredited by the
Yom Kippur War. The mood in the country, even after pulling
victory out of the jaws of defeat, was black. In Golda Meir’s
place, Yitzchak Rabin became prime minister. He was supposed to
represent the new generation of the Labor Party; the first prime
minister now born outside the State of Israel. He was supposed
to understand the inner w