[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 50 (Thursday, April 18, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E568-E569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PHOTOGRAPHIC TRIBUTE TO FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of my 
colleagues to an excellent exhibition of photographs--Yitzhak Rabin 
Remembered--which displays in pictures the life and accomplishments of 
assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. This superb exhibit 
is now on display in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building. 
Last January when my wife, Annette, and I were in Israel on a private 
visit, we saw an outstanding photographic exhibit about Prime Minister 
Rabin in the Israeli Knesset, and right there, Annette and I determined 
that we should make every effort to have those photographs brought here 
to Washington so that the Members of the Congress could have a greater 
understanding and appreciation of this great man of peace.
  Through the efforts of the Speaker of Knesset, Prof. Shevach Weiss, 
and the Embassy of Israel here in Washington, we were able to arrange 
for these photographs to be displayed in the Cannon rotunda. Last 
night, we held a reception to mark the opening of this exhibit and to 
pay tribute to this most distinguished Israeli leader, this man of war 
who became a leader in the effort to bring peace and cooperation.
  Those who paid tribute to Prime Minister Rabin last night were: Our 
distinguished colleague from Georgia, the Speaker of the House, Newt 
Gingrich; Pro. Shevach Weiss, Speaker of Knesset; Dalia Rabin Filosof, 
the daughter of Prime Minister Rabin; His Excellency Itamar Rabinovich, 
the Ambassador of Israel to the United States; and Walter Reich, 
executive director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial. Those of our 
colleagues who sponsored this event, in addition to Speaker Gingrich, 
were Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut; 
Democratic leader of the House, Richard Gephardt; and our House 
colleagues Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman of New York, the chairman of 
our International Relations Committee; Congressman John Porter of 
Illinois; and Congressman Howard Berman of California. A number of our 
colleagues joined us in paying tribute, including Congressman Bill 
Martini of New Jersey and Howard Coble of North Carolina.

  Mr. Speaker, it is entirely appropriate that we pay tribute to Prime 
Minister Rabin for his contributions to the State of Israel, our only 
stable democratic ally in the Middle East, and for his contributions to 
the peace process in that region.
  Yitzhak Rabin was born in Jerusalem in 1922. He was only 26 years of 
age when the State of Israel was proclaimed in 1948, and in many ways 
his biography is the biography of Israel. He has played pivotal roles 
throughout his country's history.
  In the war of Israeli independence in 1948, Yitzhak Rabin commanded 
the Harel brigade, which opened the road to besieged Jerusalem. He 
served in positions of command in the Israel Defense Forces, 
culminating with his appointment as chief of staff in 1964, when he led 
IDF forces to victory in the Six-Day War. Following his retirement from 
military service in 1968, he became Ambassador of Israel to the United 
States for a period of 5 years.

  In 1973 when he returned to Israel, he was elected a member of the 
Knesset, and a year later in June 1974 he became Prime Minister, 
serving until 1977. During this period, disengagement agreements were 
signed with Egypt and Syria, followed by an interim agreement with 
Egypt. These were the key agreements that prepared the way for Egyptian 
President Anwar Sadat's historic visit to Jerusalem. During the period 
of the coalition government, Rabin served as Minister of Defense from 
1984-90.
  In July 1992 he became Prime Minister for the second time and also 
Minister of Defense. This period in office was marked by major 
landmarks in the peace process. On September 13, 1993, he signed the 
Israel-Palestinian Declaration of Principles on the South Lawn of the 
White House. On October 26, 1994, he signed the Treaty of Peace between 
Israel and Jordan. On September 28, 1995, he signed the Israeli-
Palestinian Interim Agreement at the White House. In recognition of his 
major contributions to Middle East peace, he was awarded the Nobel 
Prize for Peace in December 1994 along with Israeli Foreign Minister, 
now Prime Minister, Shimon Peres and PLO Chairman Yasser Arrafat.
  Few of us will ever forget the tragedy of his death on November 4, 
1995. He was assassinated by an Israeli citizen shortly after

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speaking at a massive peace rally in Tel Aviv. In tribute to his 
contribution to the peace, kings, presidents and other heads of state 
and government from around the world participated in a memorial service 
honoring him at his burial in Jerusalem.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to pause in the Cannon rotunda to 
see these photographs--Yitzhak Rabin Remembered--and to honor the 
memory and the outstanding achievements of this great man.

                          ____________________