[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S16724-S16725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE DEATH OF ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN

  Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, it is with a sad heart that I offer a few 
final words today on behalf of Yitzhak Rabin--statesman, military war 
hero, peacemaker, and friend.
  His burial in Jerusalem on Monday casts a pall over Israel and the 
Middle East. The resilient people of Israel will overcome this tragedy, 
but his assassination reminds us of the extremist poisons that continue 
to threaten Yitzhak Rabin's dream--peace between Israel and the Arab 
world.
  I first met Yitzhak Rabin when he served as Ambassador to the United 
States beginning in 1968. It was one of many leadership posts he held 
in a long and distinguished career. From brigade commander in the 1948 
war of independence to Army Chief of Staff during the historic 6-day 
success in the 1967 war to Ambassador and then Prime Minister on two 
different occasions, Yitzhak Rabin embodied the fighting, and now 
peacemaking, Jewish spirit.
  I had the good fortune of visiting with him many times over a period 
of three decades. Following the raid on Entebbe, he honored my mother-
in-law, my wife, and me with a state dinner in Jerusalem in 1973. 
During visits to Israel since then, and on his trips to Washington, I 
continued to learn from Yitzhak Rabin's political wisdom and insights, 
as well as appreciate the difficulty of living in a world surrounded by 
declared adversaries. His was a 

[[Page S 16725]]
voice of reason, forged by the fires of war and tempered these last few 
years by yearnings for peace.
  Because of my own military background, Yitzhak Rabin shared 
additional insights with me on the strength and force of Israeli 
defense forces and difficult combat environment they faced. I respected 
him enormously for the military prowess he demonstrated during his 
years of service and afterwards. His fighting skills in 1948 and 1967 
earned him accolades as an authentic war hero. Most would agree that 
his military leadership was invaluable in securing the birth, and 
continuing security, of the Jewish State.
  But Yitzhak Rabin left the battlefield for the political trenches in 
the 1970's, initially implementing iron fist policies during his first 
term as Prime Minister that brooked no dissent from the enemies of 
Israel. Hostile states, terrorist organizations committed to the 
destruction of the Jewish State, and other inimical forces would not 
push Israel into the sea.
  After a stint as Defense Minister in the 1980's and then a Labor-
Likud powersharing arrangement, Yitzhak Rabin returned to the Prime 
Minister's Office and began to lay the groundwork for comprehensive 
peace with the Palestinians and Arab Nations. It was not an easy 
decision to make, trading land for peace, but no one was more respected 
or qualified to lead Israel away from the bloodshed of its past to a 
more secure future.
  The 1993 Declaration of Principles has started us down that road. I 
will not forget the Prime Minister's words that sunny September morning 
2 years ago on the White House lawn when the accord was signed. ``The 
time for peace has come,'' he said. ``We, the soldiers who have 
returned from battles stained with blood * * * say in a loud and clear 
voice: Enough of blood and tears. Enough.''
  King Hussein appropriately eulogized Yitzhak Rabin as one who ``died 
as a soldier of peace.'' We can only hope that his assassination imbues 
the peace process, pushing implementation of the Oslo II agreement 
forward. In earlier times Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin espoused 
different views and styles within the same Labor Party tent, but in an 
ironic twist the two forged a personal alliance these last few years in 
the name of peace. I have high hopes for the Acting Prime Minister 
carrying forward with Rabin's good work.
  For if he were with us today, I think Yitzhak Rabin would urge us to 
finish the job he has begun. It only saddens me that this courageous 
leader did not live to enjoy the fruits of his own labor to create a 
better future for Israel.

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