Rabin: HaShanim HaMa'atzavot The Formative Years 1922-1949 by Amnon Barzilai

This is a moving biography of Yitzhak Rabin, from the day he was born until the end of the War of Independence. The conclusion that emerges from it is surprising: If you thought you knew Rabin as a fighter and commander - you will discover that (almost) everything you knew about Rabin is not true, and (almost) everything that is true - is unknown.

The book invites readers to dive into an immersive detective story, full of new discoveries, stories that have never been told, testimonies, letters and hidden documents that have not been revealed until now, alongside groundbreaking historical insights. Here are some of them: Rabin was the only one that Yigal Allon and Moshe Dayan included in the invasion of Syria - even though he had no previous combat experience. At the time, he was the youngest battalion commander and brigade commander in the Palmach and the Haganah. Chiefs of Staff who preceded him saw him as a military genius and a brilliant strategist. Rabin is a hero of the War of Independence who was never crowned as such. He headed Operation Maccabi, which saw the road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem breached - an achievement that is considered the highlight of the entire War of Independence. He was among the founders of the Palmach and IDF's combat doctrine, and the first to formulate the IDF's principles of war.

Amnon Barzilai, an investigative journalist, embarked on a journey following the early stages of Rabin's life. In a research project that lasted more than a decade, he unravels the mystery of his personality and documents his decisive contribution as a commander and as a military leader. The book reveals the connections between the Sazon affair and the Altalena affair and Rabin's promotion to senior positions - deputy commander of the Palmach and then to Chief of Staff. The chapter on the Sazon reveals secrets that Ben-Gurion and Begin took with them to the grave, and solves the mystery: Why was Begin not captured? In the chapter on Altalena, Barzilai proves that it was Rabin - and not Begin - who prevented a civil war in Israel, a war that could have collapsed democracy in the young State of Israel. Throughout his life, Rabin faced bitter rivals whose goal was to block his path. They succeeded in smearing his name with slander and lies regarding his actions in the Palmach and the War of Independence – and even beyond. On November 4, 1995, one of those emissaries pulled the trigger – and the goal was achieved.

Amnon Barzilai unravels the web of lies woven around Rabin and places him, once and for all, in his rightful place in the history of the State of Israel.