Similarities Between Julius Caesar and Yitzhak Rabin

Julius Caesar served as a Roman general. He was part of the transformation of a Roman republic into a monarch. Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli general and statesman. He served two terms as a prime minister of Israel.

Military Leaders

Both Julius Caesar and Yitzhak Rabin were military leaders although each had different reasons and motives for being in the military. One was forced to join the army Julius Caesar, and the other was a friend who convinced Yitzhak Rabin to join. In both cases, the military was not what they wanted for a career. Julius Caesar first job was a priest of Jupiter; he later lost his rights to the priesthood and his inheritance. Julius Caeser decided to run away from home and join the army where he served in the Asia and Cilicia. Yitzhak Rabin never thought he would have been part of the military; Rabin was considered by many as an accidental hero. Rabin always wanted to be an agriculturist, but his parents were active socialists. He was convinced by a friend to join the ‘Palmach’ an underground Jewish army after college in 1941. The Palmach later became the Israel defense force (IDF).

Julia Ceaser and Yitzhak Rabin were known to be extraordinary military leaders that led their troops to many victories. Based on merit they both climbed the military ladder. As an army man, Julius Caesar was an experienced horseman and swordsman. In battle, he was ferocious, merciless and courageous. Julius Caesar had much respect for his military troops. Military troops. He encouraged his men to embellish their weapons and were said to be a proud lot. Julius Caesar led by example, he did not lead his army on the saddle but was there with them on foot. His men had great respect for him. Though fair, he was also brutal in punishment especially to mutineer or deserters Julius Caesar’s military achievements include the victories of the Gallic wars that led to the extension of the Roman territory to the Rhine and the English Channel (Goldsworth, 2006).

Yitzhak Rabin was known as a great military strategist, believing in vigorous training and discipline of his troops. Rabin always made sure his men were ready for war and well prepared this enabled him to win many battles. Rabin freed over two hundred illegal immigrants from ‘Atilt Detention Camp’ while a deputy commander in 1945. He also played a crucial role in defense of Jerusalem during the war of independence that was between 1948 and 1949. Rabin, unlike Julius Caesar, fought for the liberation of his people. He fought for peace and against oppression. He was not interested in glory or wealth. For his people, Rabin was always open to peaceful solutions. For example; in 1949, he was among the Israel delegation that had talks with Egypt on the Island of Rhodes. He was later appointed ‘Head of Training’ of the Israel Defense Forces in1954 and promoted to chief of staff by 1964. It was under his leadership that IDF defeated Syria, Egypt, and Jordan.

Believers of Justice

Julius Caesar and Yitzhak Rabin believed in social and economic justice. Julius Caesar believed in protecting the poor from oppression by the rich, while Rabin defended his people from persecution by their neighbors. Julius Caesar as a believer in social justice can be illustrated during the period after his return to Rome in 78 B.C after his exile in during the reign of Sulla. He lived a modest life in Subura a lower-class neighborhood in Rome since he had lost his inheritance. Ceasar took up legal advocacy as a career and was an exceptional orator with a high-pitched voice and impassioned gestures. He ruthlessly prosecuted former governors that were corrupt and extorted citizens. In 47 B.C, when Julius returned to Rome after his expeditions, his attention was turned to creating a stable government characterized by economic and social justice. He started by removing all corrupt governors and transformed the administration of provinces then formed laws and politics of consensus. Ceasar banned all gangs in Rome that was creating turmoil in Rome’s streets. He also came up with policies that benefited people economically (Freeman, 2008). He gave Italian towns additional rights of governance and gave people in the provinces other privileges.

Rabin was also a master of social justice. He is known for having left a legacy of personal responsibility. Rabin understood that a country needs to aim for peace with its neighbors. According to him, there is no reason to choose between trusting relationship with the free world and safeguarding Israel’s security interests. Rabin placed particular emphasis on solving social problems, improving his country’s economy and strengthening the IDF. He made an agreement with the United States that led to the signing of the first notice of Understanding between the government of the United States and Israel in 1975. The Entebbe Rescue Operation of July 4, 1976, remains Rabin most remembered the act of bravery. It was a secret operation that led to the rescue of passenger hostages that were in Air France, which had been hijacked and forced to land in Uganda. The IDF performed an undercover raid led to the death of all the terrorists and the rescue of all the hostages. This operation is to date considered a tremendous success and is a subject of much study (Avner, 2010).

Political Opposition and Criticism

Caesar and Rabin faced opposition during their reign. Their words and actions at times caused some people discomfort and displeasure. There was tension between Julius Caesar and the Senate. In 44 BC a delegation of senators went to see Caesar. He received them while sitting down instead of rising to meet them, which caused a lot of displeasure (Canfora, 2006). Caesar continually sought more power to govern with as little dependence as possible on the Senate and other honorary titles. Others did not like the fact that he was giving citizenship to non-Romans. A group of senators who called themselves liberators conspired against him culminating in his assassination.

In 1977, during his term as Prime Minister, Rabin was forced to step down from his post as well as head of Labor Party after he discovered that his wife was maintaining a foreign currency account, this was illegal according to Israeli regulations at the time. Rabin is also criticized for the infamous “breaking of bones” during the 1987 Intifada, as a strategy to deal with the demonstrating youth. Likud party leaders and Benjamin Netanyahu accused Rabin and his government of being removed from Jewish values and tradition. Yigal Amir, a law student at Barr-Ilan University, assassinated Rabin. He opposed the signing of the peace accord by Rabin because he believed that withdrawing from the West bank was denying Jews their Biblical heritage. According to him, Rabin was endangering Jews lives.