International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Nov. 18, 2002

Israel is paying tribute to one of its most eloquent and respected statesmen, Abba Eban, who died on Sunday in a Tel Aviv hospital at the age of 87.

Considered the premier Israeli diplomatic figure of his generation and one of the most accomplished and impeccable diplomats of recent history, Eban was widely known for his astute intellect, persuasive oratory and sharp wit, which he employed to win Israel friends at the United Nations and elsewhere in the crucial, early years following the modern re-birth of Israel in 1948.

Eban first rose to prominence alongside Zionist leader Chaim Weizman during the unsettling period between the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel in 1948. He later served as Israel's foreign minister and ambassador to the United States and United Nations. Eban was deeply involved in diplomatic efforts in the lead up to Israel's major wars of 1967 and 1973 and their aftermath.

In later years, Eban shied away from the rigors of Israeli politics, but was identified solidly with the dovish wing of the Labor party. At one stage, he argued against returning to the pre-June 4, 1967 lines, suggesting such borders were a "memory of Auschwitz," but he later strongly advocated Israel's withdrawal from Judea/Samaria and Gaza.

In perhaps his most quoted line, Eban once quipped, "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity."

During the last decades of his life, Eban gained an international reputation as an educator and one of the most outstanding writers of his generation. In the academic field, Eban served as president of the Weizmann Institute of Science between 1959 and 1966 and lectured widely. In more recent years, he was special consultant and narrator for several ambitious television documentary series, including "Civilization and the Jews," "Personal Witness: A Nation is Born," and the recently completed "The Brink of Peace," a film on the Middle East peace process to be shown on PBS.