Different kinds of testimony.
The Golda Meir Institute’s archive holds interviews, papers and accounts in which Gazit appears. This guide connects them and identifies who is speaking. The original documents are in Hebrew; an English research study is also linked below.
Open the complete result mapRead him in his own words
The interview with Gazit
The complete Hebrew transcript is linked in our interviews section, with an introduction to its themes.
Meet him through the interviewRevisiting the attempts at peace
Gazit defends Meir’s policies while considering a possible American missed opportunity in the Ismail channel.Golda collectionGolda Meir’s governments and the peace processBook or articleMordechai Gazit — Moves and contacts against an impenetrable wall
Read Gazit’s paper in Hebrew (PDF) ↗17 PDF pages: a cover and printed pages 21–36. The date above is the symposium date.
Three places to begin
Gazit’s symposium paper offers a retrospective interpretation. Read its conclusions as part of the historical debate.
- Ceasefires and later agreements ↗Printed pp. 21–22 · PDF 2–3
Gazit compares the 1970 ceasefire with the agreements reached after the war.
- The canal proposal changes ↗Printed pp. 31 · PDF 12
His table compares October and December 1971 terms: ceasefire, withdrawal, Egyptian presence and further negotiations.
- Weighing different accounts ↗Printed pp. 33–34 · PDF 14–15
Discussing the Ismail channel, he compares Rabin’s and Kissinger’s accounts and considers a possible American delay.
The links open the Hebrew scan at the relevant PDF page. If your viewer opens the cover, enter the PDF page number shown above.
Reports that reached his desk
Two reports sent to Gazit bring us closer to his daily work alongside Golda: one from Bonn before the war, the other from Washington during it.
What came back from the mission to Cairo
Ambassador Eliashiv Ben-Horin sent Gazit a report on German diplomat Lothar Lahn’s talks in Cairo. Following Willy Brandt’s visit to Israel, Lahn conveyed Israel’s readiness for an initial personal contact, at any place, time or level. He met Hafez Ismail, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal and Mohamed Hassan al-Zayyat.
According to the report, Ismail insisted on Israeli willingness to withdraw and made clear that meeting Lahn did not open indirect talks. The document shows the information reaching Gazit’s desk in the summer before the war, and the distance between the positions expressed in those talks.Book or article
Read the report’s discussion in the Willy Brandt Foundation study (PDF) ↗Wolfgang Schmidt’s study identifies the report and the date it was sent to Gazit. The link opens the English translation at p. 56 and note 169, which cites the State Archives document.
Dinitz reports to Gazit on arms supplies
During the war, Ambassador Simcha Dinitz reported to Gazit on a private conversation with Henry Kissinger, called “Naftali” in the cable. Dinitz described the bureaucratic difficulties in approving supplies and his request for more than the first five aircraft immediately.
Alongside the aircraft question, the cable records an American request for restrained public statements and a discussion of how long the fighting might last. It connects the urgent need for equipment with the diplomacy taking place at the same time. The account is Dinitz’s report to Gazit.Archive document
Read the original cable at UCLA (Hebrew PDF, p. 56) ↗The Hebrew scan is on PDF page 56 of the embassy-to-Prime Minister’s Office cables hosted by UCLA. The text gives 9/10; the year 1973 is established by the surrounding cables in the collection.
The work around the meeting table
Taking notes at the meeting with Hussein
An account attributed to a senior intelligence officer describes Gazit beside Meir at her meeting with King Hussein on 25 September 1973, recording the discussion for the Israeli side. Hagai Mann’s account also mentions his presence. These are accounts about Gazit, rather than testimony given by him.Golda collectionNorthern Command intelligence before the Yom Kippur WarGolda collectionGolda Meir’s meeting with King Hussein, 25 September 1973
A message during the war
On 19 October 1973, Gazit conveyed the Meir government’s position in a telegram to Ambassador Simcha Dinitz: to pursue negotiations and peace treaties. It formed part of the exchanges with Kissinger. Tsoref’s detailed research identifies the addressee; the institute’s two chronologies repeat a shorter account.Golda collectionThe Yom Kippur WarGolda collectionKey events in Israel’s fifteenth government, led by Golda MeirDiplomatic recordHagai Tsoref — Golda Meir versus Kissinger
Continue to the diplomatic documentsHis research, read by others
Three articles in the results draw on Gazit’s research. They help trace how his writing entered the debate about diplomacy before the 1973 war.
Meir Chazan: the Goldmann initiative
Chazan identifies Gazit’s work as a significant study of the proposed Goldmann–Nasser meeting in 1970, while stressing the need to cross-check conflicting accounts.Golda collection
Shaul Rehavi: the Kissinger–Ismail talks
Rehavi refers to Gazit’s research in discussing the idea of Egyptian sovereignty in Sinai alongside temporary Israeli security arrangements. His explanation of why negotiations failed is presented as his interpretation.Golda collection
Zohar Levkovitz: arguing against a missed opportunity
Levkovitz draws on Gazit’s The Peace Process, 1969–1973 to defend Meir’s diplomatic record. This illustrates the book’s place in an ongoing historical disagreement.Golda collection
The complete result map
The items in the collection, with a short note on what each one adds.
- Topic index
International relations and dialogue with Arab states
A gateway to Gazit’s interview and articles on contacts with Egypt and Jordan.
- Interview index
Various interviews
Links to the 1987 interview and identifies his Truman Institute affiliation.
- Chronology
The Yom Kippur War
The entry for 19 October 1973 describes a message Gazit conveyed for Meir. It also appears in result 12.
- Interview index
Interviews and testimony from various people
Another link to the same Gazit interview, rather than a separate testimony.
- Research · Dr Meir Chazan
Nahum Goldmann’s initiative to meet Nasser in 1970
Draws on Gazit’s writing in examining the initiative and the controversy around it.
- Interpretive article · Shaul Rehavi
“Sadat needed another war” — the Kissinger–Ismail talks, May 1973
Refers to Gazit’s research in discussing Egyptian sovereignty and security arrangements in Sinai.
- Opinion article · Zohar Levkovitz
Golda missed no opportunity
Draws in part on Gazit’s book. The conclusion in the title is the author’s position.
- Seminar material · 22 July 1985
Golda Meir’s governments and the peace process
Links to Gazit’s contribution, “Moves and contacts against an impenetrable wall” (translated title).
- Account · Col. (res.) Hagai Mann
Northern Command intelligence before the Yom Kippur War
Mentions Gazit’s presence at the Meir–Hussein meeting before the war.
- Account attributed to a senior intelligence officer
Golda Meir’s meeting with King Hussein, 25 September 1973
Describes Gazit taking notes of the discussion for the Israeli side.
- Interview index
The premiership — interviews with various people
A further gateway to the same 1987 interview, retained in the result map.
- Chronology · Dr Hagai Tsoref
Key events in Israel’s fifteenth government, led by Golda Meir
Includes the same 19 October entry as result 3.
The institute’s website may change. Search results and overlapping pages are preserved here as a reading map, not counted as 12 independent testimonies.