[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 190 (Thursday, November 30, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17860-S17861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE ASSASSINATION OF YITZHAK RABIN

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, earlier this month, the whole world 
stopped to pay respects to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a 
soldiers, a statesman, and a visionary committed to security and peace 
for the people of Israel and of the entire Middle East.
  Yitzhak Rabin dedicated his life to the survival of the State of 
Israel and to the crusade for peace, a crusade that ultimately took his 
life. His death is not only a loss for his family, the people of Israel 
and Jews across the world, but also to all those dedicated to the 
search for a true and lasting peace between Israel and its Arab 
neighbors.
  As a military leader, a diplomat, and a Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin 
was at the center of major events through his nation's five decade 
history. It was, after all, General Rabin who led Israel's armed forces 
to victory during the 1967 Six Day War. And it was Prime Minister Rabin 
who, 23 years later, on September 13, 1993, signed an historic accord 
that put Israel on a glidepath toward peaceful and normal relations 
with the Palestinian people.
  During his professional life, Yitzhak Rabin did much to strengthen 
the relationship between the United States and Israel. As Ambassador to 
the United States, Mr. Rabin repeatedly communicated and demonstrated 
to officials of the United States Government Israel's unyielding 
commitment to United States interests in the Middle East and around the 
world. And in every other post in which he served--Army Chief of Staff, 
Defense Minister, and Prime Minister--Yitzhak Rabin always earned the 
respect, admiration, and friendship of American leaders from both 
parties.
  While I did not know Yitzhak Rabin personally, I had the honor of 
joining him at the White House some weeks ago for the signing of the 
Oslo II Agreement, one of the many historic developments of which Mr. 
Rabin was an architect. I remember at that ceremony thinking about how 
much progress had been made in the Middle East over the past several 
years. I was impressed by the extent to which this fragile peace 
process had been kept on track despite 

[[Page S17861]]
what seemed at times to be insurmountable hurdles. Yitzhak Rabin was 
critical to keeping the delicate process moving forward. This, however, 
was not his only accomplishment since he began his second term as Prime 
Minister in 1993. Prime Minister Rabin orchestrated the Israel-Jordan 
Peace Treaty, the normalization of relations between Israel and 
Tunisia, Israel and Morocco, and the acceptance of Israel by many 
others in the Arab world and around the globe.
  Mr. President, on November 6, I joined some 4,500 members of 
Detroit's distinguished Jewish Community to pay tribute to Yitzhak 
Rabin at a memorial ceremony organized in my State by the Detroit 
Jewish community Council and the Detroit Jewish Federation. It was an 
incredibly moving experience for me and my wife Jane. We listened to 
Jewish leaders from Detroit talk about their memories of the slain 
Israeli leader and all he had meant to the Jewish people. I especially 
was struck by the message of the last individual who spoke that 
evening, Rabbi Steven Wiel. During his remarks, Rabbi Wiel posed the 
following question: ``Do we not love what we love more than we hate 
what we hate? Do we not love the chance for peace, do we not love the 
state of Israel, do we not love our Jewish brethren, do we not love 
human life more than we may hate decisions made by political leaders 
with whom we may disagree?''
  Mr. President, the hatred that Rabbi Wiel spoke of may have been 
acted upon by Yigal Amir in Tel Aviv on November 4, but it exists in 
various forms throughout the Middle East and in too many other places 
in the world. This hatred can be found in individuals of all faiths and 
of all nationalities. And if we truly are committed to a lasting peace 
in the Middle East, we not only must help Israel overcome its most 
recent tragedy, but we must also unite leaders from the entire region 
against the hatred of those who have tried and will continue to try to 
derail this peace process through heinous and murderous crimes. In this 
vein, I have already pledged my strong support for Mr. Rabin's 
successor, Shimon Peres, and I commend Israel's leaders from across the 
political spectrum for seeking to unify the Israeli people during this 
tragic time. It is absolutely essential that the United States stand 
behind Prime Minister Peres and the citizens of Israel as they work to 
overcome this crisis and continue to work toward peace.
  I believe the greatest way the United States can pay tribute to our 
partner, Yitzhak Rabin, is to continue to assist the efforts of those 
trying to make peace in the Middle East. Any peace that is achieved 
forever will be attached to the name of Israeli leader and peacemaker 
Yitzhak Rabin.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, I send a bill to the desk. I ask it be 
properly referred.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill will be properly referred.
  MR. GLENN. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Glenn and Mr. DeWine pertaining to the 
introduction of S. 1439 are located in today's Record under 
``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. D'AMATO addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.

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