The PMs who shaped Israel

During Golda Meir's time as prime minister, from 1969 to 1974, her commitment to the expansion of Jewish settlements in Arab territories conquered by Israel in 1967, and her refusal to consider negotiations with Arab states, contributed significantly to the outbreak of the 1973 Middle East war. Meir always insisted that there was no such thing as the Palestinian people, only Palestinian refugees. She also resisted US efforts to lay the ground for a lasting peace settlement, observing: "Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us."