[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16730-16731]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

SENATE RESOLUTION 299--HONORING THE LIFE, LEGACY, AND EXAMPLE OF FORMER 
 ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN ON THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF 
                               HIS DEATH

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Carper, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Mr. Franken, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Kaine) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 299

       Whereas Yitzhak Rabin was born on March 1, 1922, in 
     Jerusalem;
       Whereas Yitzhak Rabin volunteered for the Palmach, the 
     elite unit of the Haganah, the predecessor of the Israeli 
     Defense Forces, and served for 27 years, including during the 
     1948 War of Independence, the 1956 Suez War, and as Chief of 
     Staff in the June 1967 Six Day War;
       Whereas Yitzhak Rabin served as Ambassador to the United 
     States from 1968 through 1973, Minister of Defense from 1984 
     through 1990, and Prime Minister from 1974 through 1977 and 
     from 1992 until his assassination in 1995;
       Whereas, in 1975, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed the 
     interim agreement with Egypt that laid the groundwork for the 
     1979 Camp David Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt;
       Whereas on September 13, 1993, in Washington, D.C., Yitzhak 
     Rabin signed the Declaration of Principles framework 
     agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, also known as 
     the Oslo Accords;
       Whereas, upon the signing of the Declaration of Principles, 
     Yitzhak Rabin said to the Palestinian people: ``We say to you 
     today in a loud and clear voice: Enough of blood and tears. 
     Enough! We harbor no hatred toward you. We have no desire for 
     revenge. We, like you, are people who want to build a home, 
     plant a tree, love, live side by side with you--in dignity, 
     empathy, as human beings, as free men.'';
       Whereas Yitzhak Rabin received the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize 
     for his vision and bravery as a peacemaker;
       Whereas, on October 26, 1994, Yitzhak Rabin and King 
     Hussein of Jordan signed a peace treaty between Israel and 
     Jordan;
       Whereas, on November 4, 1995, Yitzhak Rabin was 
     assassinated after attending a peace rally in Tel Aviv, where 
     his last words were: ``I have always believed that the 
     majority of the people want peace, are prepared to take risks 
     for peace. . . Peace is what the Jewish People aspire to.'';
       Whereas Yitzhak Rabin dedicated his life to the cause of 
     peace and security for the state of Israel by defending his 
     nation against all threats, including terrorism and invasion, 
     and undertaking courageous risks in the pursuit of peace;
       Whereas, in the years following Yitzhak Rabin's 
     assassination, successive United States Administrations have 
     sought to help Israel and the Palestinians achieve a 
     negotiated two-state solution that ends their conflict;
       Whereas today Israel and the Palestinian territories are 
     the site of renewed terrorism and violence;
       Whereas the continuation and deepening of the Israeli-
     Palestinian conflict in the absence of progress toward a two-
     state solution has contributed to suffering among both 
     peoples, including being one of several factors driving the 
     current terrorism and violence in Israel and the Palestinian 
     territories; and
       Whereas today, more than ever, the leadership of Yitzhak 
     Rabin can be a model for securing peace during a time of 
     conflict: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the life and accomplishments of Yitzhak 
     Rabin and extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to his 
     family and the people of Israel on the twentieth anniversary 
     of his death;
       (2) recognizes and reiterates its continued support for the 
     close ties and special relationship between the people and 
     Governments of the United States and Israel;
       (3) reaffirms its commitment to the process of building a 
     just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians 
     based on two states for two peoples, living side-by-side in 
     peace and security; and
       (4) calls on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to quell the 
     current outbreak of terrorism and violence, and to resume 
     work toward a negotiated two-state solution ending the 
     conflict once and for all.

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. President, I rise today to submit a resolution 
recognizing the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.
  On November 4, 1995, after a major peace rally, then-Prime Minister 
Rabin was gunned-down by an Israeli nationalist. Rabin's brutal 
assassination ended the life of a man who lived for peace.
  Today, with renewed terrorism and violence in Israel and the 
Palestinian territories, leaders should look to the example of Mr. 
Rabin, who forged peace against long odds. His assassin may

[[Page 16731]]

have ended his life, but his message must live on.
  During Mr. Rabin's first term as Israel's Prime Minister, he laid the 
foundation for peace with Egypt by concluding the Sinai Interim 
Agreement on September 1, 1975.
  The eventual 1979 Camp David Peace Treaty officially ended 
hostilities between the two nations. Importantly, Egypt became the 
first Arab state to recognize Israel. Today, because of Mr. Rabin's 
work, Egypt and Israel remain at peace.
  During Mr. Rabin's second term as Prime Minister, he continued to 
seek peace with Israel's neighbors. He led the effort to sign the Oslo 
Accords, which created the Palestinian Authority, and which serves as a 
framework for the creation of a Palestinian state today.
  For their efforts, Mr. Rabin, Yasir Arafat and Shimon Peres won the 
1994 Nobel Peace Prize.
  That same year, Israel and Jordan also signed a peace treaty, making 
Jordan the second Arab state to establish peace with Israel.
  On this, the twentieth anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak 
Rabin, I offer my condolences to his family. May they continue to find 
solace in the legacy of a leader who sought peace when others sought 
war.
  May leaders all around the world look to him for inspiration on how 
to lead courageously and chart a more peaceful future for one's people.

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