Numerous trials and tribulations have befallen the region since Nov. 4, 1995, when Amir's Beretta pistol spewed the rounds that cut Rabin's life short. Among them are the second Palestinian intifada, Israel's unilateral pull-out of the Gaza Strip, a full- scale war with Lebanon's Hezbollah in 2006, and a month-long incursion into the Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The violence and traumatic events scarred the Israeli populace.

While Rabin's peace venture initially won a firm majority, public opinion surveys in recent years, regularly pointing at hawkish tendencies, suggest that most Israelis have since moved rightward. Israelis, it seems, have grown tired and desperate. So did Palestinians. But the peace-making efforts remain.

Netanyahu is reportedly contemplating a 90-day extension of the construction moratorium, an offer he may bring up in a hoped-for meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama next month.

Regardless of whether or not current efforts at peace-making will yield anything, Netanyahu, some analysts said, is displaying a shrewdness Rabin lacked, consistently managing to tiptoe a thin line between negotiating peace and appeasing its objectors.

A lot of other things have also changed. The Labor Party, in which Rabin spent his entire political career, is now part of Netanyahu's coalition.