Vital is an English-born historian of Zionism and diplomacy. His books include “The Origins of Zionism” and “A People Apart: A Political History of the Jews in Europe.” He worked in the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office from 1954 to 1966. He taught at Bar-Ilan and Haifa universities before serving as the Nahum Goldman professor of diplomacy at Tel Aviv University. He has held emeritus status since 1995.
Photo: “Global Politics Essays in Honour of David Vital” edited by Abraham Ben-Zvi and Aharon Klieman, 2001