Short answers, pulled from the story.
Abba Eban was a South African-born Israeli diplomat and politician who lived from the 2nd of February 1915 to the 17th of November 2002. He served as Israel's first Permanent Representative to the United Nations, its second ambassador to the United States, Foreign Affairs Minister from 1966 to 1974, Education Minister from 1960 to 1963, and Deputy Prime Minister.
Eban's most famous remark was that the Arabs "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity," referring to prospects for peace. He made the comment after the Geneva peace talks in December 1973, and it has been widely quoted in discussions of Middle East diplomacy ever since.
Abba Eban was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on the 2nd of February 1915, to Lithuanian Jewish parents. He attended St Olave's Grammar School in Southwark and read Classics and Oriental languages at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he achieved a triple first in Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian.
Abba Eban reportedly mastered ten languages. His Cambridge triple first covered Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian, and he was known to enjoy translating newspaper articles into Ancient Greek as a private pastime.
During the Six-Day War, Eban served as Israel's Foreign Minister and defended the country's actions before the United Nations General Assembly, arguing that Israel had responded to an imminent Egyptian threat on the 5th of June. He also played an important part in shaping UN Security Council Resolution 242 in 1967 and Resolution 338 in 1973.
Eban received the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State in 2001. He died on the 17th of November 2002 and was buried in Kfar Shmaryahu, north of Tel Aviv.