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In 1968 Barak completed a BA in physics and mathematics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and in 1987, an MA in systems analysis at Stanford University in California. As chief of General Staff, Barak knew about the Oslo talks but did not participate in them and was critical of their results. Several days before ending his term as CGS he met with his Syrian counterpart in Washington, within the framework of the bilateral talks between Syria and Israel. The involvement of Barak and other senior officers in the political process was strongly criticized by the opposition at the time. Barak's reply to this criticism was that, "The IDF does not and cannot have a position regarding the essence of the political moves, but its duty is to clarify to the political echelon the security implications of every possible decision."

Barak left the IDF on January 1, 1995 and went to the US for a brief stay, during which he argued in an article in The Washington Times that Israel should continue to move along the narrow path of common sense towards peace -- a path which runs between the extreme Left, which ignores the hostile reality in which Israel lives, and the extreme Right, which takes advantage of anxieties and fear to freeze the peace process.

In July 1995, after a brief period in business, Barak joined the government of Yitzhak Rabin as minister of the interior. Before his appointment he was accused, in an article in the daily Yediot Aharonot, of having deserted wounded soldiers during a secret military exercise at Tze'elim, which he had attended in November 1992 as chief of General Staff, and having later given contradictory explanations as to what had actually taken place. Barak strongly denied the allegations, and the report by the new state comptroller Eliezer Goldberg exonerated him completely of any inappropriate conduct.

Following the Rabin assassination, he was appointed foreign minister in the government of Shimon Peres. In the Labor Party primaries held before the elections to the 14th Knesset (May 1996), Barak came second. In the primaries to the Labor Party leadership, held in June 1997, he was elected from among four candidates by a 50.33% majority.

Despite his clear victory, Barak's position as leader of the Labor Party continued to be undermined by former Labor leader Shimon Peres (even though when Barak was still chief of staff Peres had mentioned him as a possible heir). Haim Ramon, who had not participated in the contest for the Labor Party leadership in 1996, did not conceal his intention of challenging Barak before the elections to the 15th Knesset, should Barak fail to "take off" in the opinion polls. Barak's position as leader of the Labor Party stabilized only after the Knesset passed the law for its early dissolution on January 4, 1999.

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Links in this section:

Ehud Barak      Fact File      In-depth Profile      Interview Ze'ev Binyamin Begin      Fact File      In-depth Profile      Interview Azmi Bishara      Fact File      In-depth Profile      Interview

Yitzhak Mordechai      Fact File      In-depth Profile      Interview Binyamin Netanyahu      Fact File      In-depth Profile      Interview