[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13849-13850]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING SHIMON PERES

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and 
legacy of a dear friend, a great leader, a pioneer in his own right, 
someone I admire, and someone many of us have cheered on, President 
Shimon Peres. President Peres helped build Israel through hard work and 
tough diplomacy aimed at restarting peace talks, and championed 
Israel's security and prosperity until his last breath. A giant among 
statesmen and inspiration to so many, his passing marks an end of an 
era and is a great loss to Israel, the region, and the world; but his 
legacy lives on in his unwavering commitment to regional peace and in 
the future of the Jewish people where generations upon generations will 
build a better, safer, and more peaceful future.
  Last night, we got the very sad news that President Peres passed away 
after suffering a stroke 2 weeks ago, and I want to come to the floor 
to speak about him.
  We all know the biography. Born in Poland, he grew up in Tel Aviv and 
spent some time studying in the United States, including at Harvard 
University and New School for Social Research in New York. Since the 
mid-20th century, President Peres committed his life to advancing peace 
and reconciliation in the Middle East and addressing security issues 
that faced the region. He became the Director General of Israel's 
Ministry of Defense at the age of 29 and had an impressive political 
career that spanned seven decades, which included two terms as Prime 
Minister and one as President. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for 
his role in negotiating the Oslo accords, along with Israeli Prime 
Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. President 
Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. A further 
testament to his hard work, commitment to his country, and legacy, he 
continued to engage on matters of importance to Israel after leaving 
public office in 2014.
  I have known and observed President Peres for a long time, in 
particular, during my almost 40 years in Congress, and I can say that 
we have much to celebrate in him, starting with one of the greatest 
achievements of the 20th century--the founding of the modern State of 
Israel, which followed the most incomprehensible and evil event of the 
20th century, when the Nazis, with the complicity of so many others, 
sought to exterminate a people. Peres, along with survivors of the 
Holocaust, helped to build modern Israel, and as a result, never again 
will the Jewish people be dependent on anyone else for their security.
  I met with then-President Peres on my last trip to Israel in 2012, 
and, as with every engagement we have had, I was reminded of his strong 
commitment to regional peace that I believe changed the course of 
Israel's history in so many areas--defense, the occupation of the West 
Bank, the economy, and the peace process itself. Now, I have been a 
longtime friend and supporter of Israel, and I also have had the great 
honor in my years in the Senate to be on the committee that provided 
billions in foreign assistance and missile defense to Israel and 
ensured Israel had the resources it needed while enforcing current and 
potential future sanctions against Iran. So I have been a close 
observer of Israel and seen Peres up close and personal.
  What I can say about him is that, in our conversations, I told him my 
support for Israel is unabashed and unwavering and that I will continue 
to be a voice for Israel and a vote for Israel in the U.S. Senate. I 
said the United States will always stand by Israel since we are bound 
together by our common values, by history, and by our shared national 
interests. I said that support for Israel must be unflinching and 
unflagging and that the United States will continue to make sure that 
Israel maintains its qualitative edge--the ability to counter and 
defeat any military threat. We have had good conversations over the 
years, so I could not be more emphatic when I say that his legacy, 
along with his status as the last surviving member of Israel's

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founding generation which we cannot ignore, puts him in his own 
category among Israel's most iconic political figures.
  Israel has had to endure many wars and live in constant readiness for 
battle under the constant threat of terrorism; yet the people of Israel 
have remained strong and resolute, a testament to the legacy of Shimon 
Peres.
  Today we honor the life and legacy of our friend Shimon Peres, and 
all friends of Peres and Israel should recommit ourselves to ensuring 
the survivability and viability of the State of Israel, now and 
forever. I will miss my dear friend, but look forward to a future of 
peace, prosperity, and friendship that will live on.

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