[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 178 (Friday, November 10, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E 2163]]


             HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF YITZHAK RABIN

                                 ______


                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 8, 1995

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my sorrow at the 
passing of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
  Few leaders in our lifetime have come to exemplify the spirit of a 
nation in the way that Yitzhak Rabin symbolized the State of Israel. 
Father, soldier, politician, statesman, architect of peace; Prime 
Minister Rabin was all of these things and more. He never shied away 
from taking up arms for Israel when necessary, nor did he hesitate to 
put an end to hostilities when the opportunity arose. Having had the 
privilege of visiting Israel before the current peace process began, I 
appreciate the obstacles he faced throughout his career, as well as the 
courage he needed to confront them.
  One of my most vivid memories since coming to Congress is being 
seated on the White House lawn watching Prime Minister Rabin and Yasser 
Arafat sign the historic accord marking a new chapter in Israeli-
Palestinian relations. The sense of joy and hope that Yitzhak Rabin 
helped create at that moment was repeated again when King Hussein of 
Jordan and he appeared before a joint session of Congress and talked 
about the promise of peace between their two nations. I will cherish 
these memories for the rest of my life.
  At the same time, I will never forget the shock I felt when I first 
learned that Yitzhak Rabin had been assassinated. But my sorrow at the 
passing of this great leader was tinged with outrage at the senseless 
violence that brought his life to an untimely end. It is not enough to 
condemn the man who fired the shots that killed Prime Minister Rabin. 
We must also condemn the extremism that provided encouragement to 
Rabin's assassin and caution those who traffic in inflammatory rhetoric 
that their words can have consequences, sometimes terrible 
consequences, in Israel and elsewhere.
  Mr. Speaker, like Anwar Sadat before him, Yitzhak Rabin has become a 
martyr for peace. The best way we can honor his legacy and memory is by 
aiding Israel in its pursuit of the cause for which he gave his life. 
Only when peace reigns in the Middle East will the vision of Yitzhak 
Rabin be fulfilled.

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