[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S16728-S16729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN

  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, the hills of Jerusalem were quiet 
yesterday as world leaders gathered to pay tribute to Prime Minister 
Yitzhak Rabin, a man who served and led Israel for more than 50 years 
both in war and in peace. Yitzhak Rabin was a true leader in every 
sense of the word. A man who, after having led his nation in war 
battling for freedom, turned to his own countrymen to seek peace for 
the long-term security of Israel.
  In the days since his tragic death, much has been said of Yitzhak 
Rabin's unique role in brokering peace in the Middle East. Friends and 
former foes agree Mr. Rabin achieved progress where perhaps no other 
Israeli leader was capable. Because of his strong military record, 
Yitzhak Rabin brought legitimacy to his quest to stop the bloodshed of 
Israelis. Only a man who led his country to great victories in war 
could argue effectively against concerns that Israel was giving up its 
security in negotiating peace with her neighbors.
   From Yitzhak Rabin's early days as a young soldier in the Palmach, 
to his meteoric rise to Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, he was 
credited worldwide as having one of the most insightful military minds 
of his time. He was primarily responsible for creating the army which 
led Israel to victory over Egypt, Jordan, and Syria and included the 
capture of the Old City of Jerusalem in the Six-Day war. Yet it may 
have been his close contact with war that led him to eventually realize 
that the only true prospect to ending the Palestinian question was 
negotiation, and not a military solution.
  One of the most tangible examples of what his efforts for peace have 
garnered was the presence of King Hussein and President Hosni Mubarak 
at the funeral services at Mount Herzl Cemetery. These men, once 
enemies, joined over 30 other world leaders to honor a man they had 
faced on the battlefield and then again at the equally difficult peace 
table.
  Yitzhak Rabin inspired in most Israeli citizens a sense of confidence 
that in these troubled times he was acting in the interest of Israel's 
long-term 

[[Page S 16729]]
prosperity. He viewed peace negotiation as a necessity to secure 
Israel's future in the Middle East, putting aside whatever personal 
remembrances he may have carried from his days as a soldier. The 
pinnacle of his career was witnessed by millions of people on September 
13, 1993, when he and Yasir Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn 
after the signing of the Declaration of Principles. On that day, he 
spoke words meant for Israel's Arab enemies but now tragically apply to 
fellow Israelis, ``We are today giving peace a chance--and saying to 
you and saying again to you: enough. Let us pray that a day will come 
when we all will say farewell to the arms.''

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