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Ehud Barak: the military mastermind Israel loves to hate

This article is more than 11 years old

[...]

As prime minister, he sought to reach a conclusive peace agreement with Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, an attempt that culminated in the failed 2000 Camp David summit in Bill Clinton's last days in the White House. That led to the second intifada, which in turn brought his resignation in 2001.

Barak's public image was badly damaged by the purchase of an expensive apartment in one of Tel Aviv's flashiest and most sought-after locations.

Israel's yearning for experienced military leaders brought him back to political life after the 2006 Lebanon war and he became minister of defence. He seems to have a feel for what motivates his enemies and was widely quoted as saying: "If I were a Palestinian I would have joined a terrorist organisation." Barak also stated during a US television interview last year that he would "probably" strive for nuclear weapons if he were in Iran's position.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/26/ehud-barak-quits-politics-israel

"I am just wondering aloud about how many brand-new young fighters have been hatched in this latest war. Just thinking out loud, that if I was a young boy, growing up in Gaza, and I saw family members and friends killed in this war. When I grew up, I would probably not exactly have warm feeling toward anyone from Israel. "