Itamar Rabinovich

Itamar Rabinovich built his career as a historian of Syria and the modern Middle East. He joined Tel Aviv University's faculty in 1971 and went on to direct the Dayan Center, lead the humanities faculty, and serve as rector. His scholarship on Syrian politics brought him into diplomacy when Yitzhak Rabin selected him as chief negotiator with Syria in 1992 and subsequently as ambassador to the United States. ^{1, 2}

Rabinovich initially traveled repeatedly to Washington for the negotiations before taking up residence as ambassador in 1993. He maintained a close working relationship with Rabin as the government explored a settlement with Hafez al-Assad. In a later interview, he described the difficulty of reconciling territorial withdrawal, security arrangements, and the nature of a future peace. After Rabin's assassination, Shimon Peres kept him as ambassador but transferred leadership of the Syrian negotiations to Uri Savir. Rabinovich remained on the team until he resigned after Netanyahu's 1996 election victory. ³

He returned to university leadership as president of Tel Aviv University from 1999 to 2007. His subsequent books included a biography of Rabin, studies of the Arab–Israeli conflict, and Syrian Requiem, written with Carmit Valensi. He also helped lead the Israel Institute, the Dan David Foundation, and research institutions concerned with Middle Eastern history and policy. ^{1, 2}