Abba Eban: The Voice of Israel on the World Stage

Three Countries, One Mission

Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban was born on February 2, 1915, in Cape Town, South Africa, to a Lithuanian-Jewish family. His father died when Aubrey was young, and his mother moved the family to London, where he was raised in comfortable, intellectually stimulating circumstances.

At Cambridge University, Eban studied classics and Oriental languages, graduating with a triple first — an extraordinary academic achievement. He was fluent in English, Hebrew, Arabic, French, and several other languages by his mid-twenties, a gift that would make him one of the most effective diplomats of his generation.

During World War II, Eban served in British military intelligence in Cairo, working on political intelligence in the Middle East. This experience gave him intimate knowledge of Arab politics and culture that would inform his diplomatic career.

Israel’s Voice at the United Nations

After the war, Eban was recruited by Chaim Weizmann to join the Zionist cause. He played a key role in the diplomatic campaign for the 1947 United Nations partition plan, which led to the creation of the State of Israel.

In 1950, at age thirty-five, Eban became Israel’s Ambassador to both the United States and the United Nations — an astonishing dual appointment. For the next decade, he was Israel’s voice on the world stage, delivering speeches of such eloquence that even delegates hostile to Israel conceded his brilliance.

Eban’s rhetorical style combined three elements: moral authority drawn from Jewish history and the Holocaust, intellectual depth grounded in his classical education, and devastating wit that could disarm opponents. His speeches were works of art — carefully constructed arguments delivered with an orator’s instinct for rhythm, pacing, and emotional climax.

The Six-Day War

Eban’s finest hour came in May and June 1967, as Israel faced an existential crisis. Egypt’s President Nasser had closed the Straits of Tiran, expelled UN peacekeepers from Sinai, and massed troops on Israel’s border. Syria and Jordan joined the threatening coalition.

As Foreign Minister, Eban embarked on a dramatic diplomatic tour — meeting with President Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Prime Minister Harold Wilson in London, and President Lyndon Johnson in Washington. His mission was to secure international support for Israel’s right to break the blockade.

When diplomacy failed to resolve the crisis, Israel launched a preemptive strike. On June 19, 1967, Eban delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly defending Israel’s actions. The address — delivered without notes, in flawless English, with references spanning three millennia of history — is considered one of the greatest speeches in UN history.

“The question is whether the world community will apply the principles of its charter or stand aside as small states are strangled,” Eban declared. His presentation transformed international perception of the conflict in the critical days following the war.

The Art of Diplomatic Language

Eban elevated diplomatic language to literature. His phrases became part of political vocabulary. “The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity” is perhaps his most quoted line — a statement that irritated Palestinians but became shorthand for frustration with failed negotiations.

His observation that “history teaches us that men and nations behave wisely — once they have exhausted all other alternatives” captured both his optimism and his realism. His wit was never merely decorative; it served strategic purposes, making complex arguments memorable and disarming adversaries with elegance rather than aggression.

Eban also wrote extensively. His books on Israeli history and diplomacy — including My People, Heritage, and An Autobiography — combined scholarship with literary grace, making them accessible to general readers while maintaining intellectual rigor.

Later Years and Legacy

Eban served in the Knesset for over two decades and held several ministerial positions. But his influence waned in the 1970s as Israeli politics shifted rightward and a younger generation of politicians displaced the founding era’s leaders.

He died on November 17, 2002, in Herzliya, Israel.

Abba Eban’s legacy lies in the power of language. At a time when Israel was a tiny, vulnerable state surrounded by enemies, Eban gave it a voice of authority, elegance, and moral clarity that commanded respect. He demonstrated that words — chosen with precision, delivered with conviction — are a weapon as powerful as any army.

For the Jewish people, Eban represented the ancient tradition of eloquence in the service of justice — a tradition stretching from the prophets to the Talmudic sages to the modern statesman who spoke ten languages and used every one of them in defense of his people.