[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 174 (Monday, November 6, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H11771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE DEATH OF YITZHAK RABIN AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR AMERICA AND THE 
                                 WORLD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Wise] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this time to continue for just 
a moment discussing the death of Yitzhak Rabin, and what it means to 
the world, and certainly to us. I have grappled with this all weekend, 
as I know many Americans and citizens across the world have, about the 
meaning, because once again a great leader, who has already 
accomplished much and pointed the world in a new direction, has been 
struck down.
  There is a sense of horror and tragedy and shock at this, and in many 
ways, hopelessness. But at the same time, out of this sense we have to 
resolve to go on, to remember this man who was a patriot and leader of 
Israel, who led Israel in one of its major wars, who commanded armies, 
who knew military arms, and yet could also bring a nation to peace.
  I have thought many times that probably it was only Prime Minister 
Rabin who could do that; having been such a successful general, he 
could be the only one whose word and authority could be accepted when 
he would say there could be peace.
  I put him in the same category as many other great leaders who have 
been struck down in the Mideast. Of course, in 1981 another one who 
dared to strive for peace and was struck down by an extremist within 
his own country was Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt. Before him, 
the grandfather of the President King Hussein, King Abdullah, was 
struck down in Jerusalem by the same extremist type of person. People 
who did not want to see a dream succeed are those who would strike down 
such leaders.
  The death of Yitzhak Rabin, though, really has meaning far beyond 
Israel. Obviously, we focus on the Mideast, and I think if there is a 
success story for the United States, it is that there has been a true 
bipartisan support of the nation of Israel and its strivings and 
endeavors and struggles.
  Obviously, the Mideast is a large part of what we focus on today, but 
what Yitzhak Rabin was about and what struck him down is not just the 
Mideast, it is an extremism that is in all parts of our society 
worldwide; it is an extremism that says ``We do not have to work 
through democratic principles; if your dream differs from ours, we will 
cut you down.''
  That is what we have to root out. That is something we have to do as 
individuals as well. We cannot just count on there being Yitzhak Rabins 
on every street corner. They depend upon us, ordinary citizens, to lead 
that fight as well, to be the soldiers, if you will. So I hope that is 
something, that we redouble our efforts. As we focus on the Mideast and 
the sorrow and grief that we feel today and we are going to feel for 
quite a while, and the absence we are going to feel for quite a while, 
so let us focus on what needs to be done across the world as well.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to ask that all of us as 
Americans redouble our efforts to deal with extremism no matter where 
it is: Left, right, religious, racial, however it comes up. That is 
what this is about. That is the struggle that must be led.
  As I watched excerpts of the funeral I was struck by something, Mr. 
Speaker, You could not help but feels tears well up, to see, of course, 
not only Prime Minister Rabin's granddaughter so eloquently eulogize 
her grandfather, as a person who knew him well, better than anyone 
else, I think, but also to see his former adversary, the King of 
Jordan, whose soldiers had fought and he had fought against Israel 
several times before, stand beside the bier of his former fallen foe 
and call him friend; the Arab King, the Israeli flag-draped casket, 
side by side; two men who dared, two leaders who dared to reach out.
  Now they call, I think, upon us, all of us, to dare to reach out the 
same way, for if we are to gain anything out of this great tragedy, if 
we are to try to pull anything out of this, that is what we must double 
and triple our efforts to do, which is to heed that call and to dare to 
reach out to each other.

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