[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 182 (Thursday, November 16, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S17189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PRIME MINISTER YIZHAK RABIN

  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, like most Americans, I am shocked 
and grief stricken by the brutal and senseless assassination of Prime 
Minister Yitzhak Rabin. My heart grieves not only for Israel and its 
people for the loss of their leader, but for all peace loving peoples 
in the Middle East. Most especially, my heart grieves for the family of 
Prime Minister Rabin: his wife Leah, their children and their 
grandchildren. Our prayers and heartfelt sympathy are with them as they 
deal with the most personal of life's tragedies in the most public of 
circumstances.
  Father, grandfather, husband, patriot, soldier, statesman, Nobel 
laureate and peacemaker, Prime Minister Rabin was a man of many parts. 
He dedicated his life to the service of his country and his life 
mirrored the evolution of his country. As a young man, his valor in the 
cause of freedom helped create the State of Israel. As an older man, he 
defended Israel in battle against enemies that threatened the existence 
of his homeland. As a senior statesman, he relentlessly pursued the 
cause of peace with Israel's adversaries with boldness and courage. 
Perhaps only a person hardened by the experiences of war could put 
aside anger over the past and undertake the risks of pursuing peace 
with hostile neighbors.
  Mr. President, the world has lost a great leader, and we are all 
diminished by his passing. He died before fulfilling his dream: 
peaceful coexistence with all Arab neighbors. The peace process must go 
forward. We, the world community, must continue and fulfill what he 
started. We cannot reward this act of extremism by halting or slowing 
negotiations. We must use this occasion to show all extremists capable 
of using violence that the killing of Prime Minister Rabin will not 
frustrate or stop the peace process. We must unite in this time of 
tragedy and pursue peace with renewed vigor and purpose.
  Mr. President, when I heard the news of Prime Minister Rabin's tragic 
death, I was reminded of the death of another great martyr in the cause 
of Middle East peace, former President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. The 
similarities in their lives and the circumstances surrounding their 
deaths cannot be ignored. Both knew the hardships of war and understood 
the risks of peace. Both understood the need for honest dialogue with 
adversaries and the value of compromise. Both were slain at the hands 
of countrymen who were opposed to their making peace with former 
enemies. We would do well to learn from their boldness and courage.
  Mr. President, Israel deserves our unqualified support at this time 
of national tragedy. We must make it clear to all who would be 
opponents and disrupters of peace that we intend to continue and 
fulfill what Prime Minister Rabin started: conciliation between Israel 
and its Arab neighbors. This legacy must not be lost with his senseless 
death.
  Tzedek! Tzedek! Terdofe!: Righteousness! Righteousness! you shall 
pursue!

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