Ehud Barak

Born and raised on a kibbutz in central Israel, Ehud Barak enlisted in the Israeli Army at age 17, and first led a combat unit in the 1967 Six-Day War. As a member of Israel's most elite commando force, he crossed borders in disguise and rescued hostages from hijacked airplanes. As a rising officer, he commanded a tank battalion in the fiercest battles of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He retired from the military after 36 years as Chief of Staff, commander of the armed forces, and Israel's most decorated soldier. On leaving the military, he answered the call of his friend and mentor, Yitzhak Rabin, to enter politics and join Rabin's cabinet as Minister of the Interior. After Rabin's death, Ehud Barak became Foreign Minister, and shortly thereafter, leader of Israel's Labor Party. In 1999, only four years after entering political life, Ehud Barak won election as Prime Minister of Israel. As Prime Minister, he ended Israel's 17-year occupation of Southern Lebanon and brought Israel closer than ever before to a final peace agreement with the Palestinians. Since 2007, he has served as Minister of Defense in a multi-party coalition government, working to obtain a lasting peace while preserving his nation's security. In this podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 2001 Summit in San Antonio, Texas, he recalls his childhood, his education, his service as an enlisted soldier and commanding officer. He emphasizes the horror of war, while admitting that the skills and confidence he acquired in the military served him well in his subsequent role as public servant. In his exchange with the Academy's student delegates, he also discusses his efforts to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians.