Abba Eban

Abba Eban (February 2, 1915 – November 16, 2002), born Aubrey Solomon Eban, was an Israeli diplomat, politician and author. He was born in South Africa and educated in England.

Quotes

 * History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.
 * Speech in London (16 December 1970); as quoted in The Times ([London] 17 December 1970) and in Great Jewish Quotations (1996) by Alfred J. Kolatch, p. 115.


 * I think that this is the first war in history that on the morrow the victors sued for peace and the vanquished called for unconditional surrender.
 * Abba Eban "Israel's Dilemmas: An Opportunity Squandered" in Stephen J. Roth, ed. The Impact of the Six-Day War: A Twenty-Year Assessment.


 * The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
 * As quoted in The Jerusalem Post (18 November 2002); often misquoted as "Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." The quote is attributed to Abba Eban after the Geneva Peace Conference with Arab countries (21 December 1973).


 * If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions.
 * Comment about the United Nations General Assembly, as quoted in The Guardian (3 February 2004). Reputedly stated between the Six-Day War in 1967 and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 in 1975 (revoked in 1991) which claimed Zionism is a form of racism.