and isolation. I can mark the precise moment when this occurred.

[Seated] next to Mrs. Sadat on the White House lawn during the celebration, I [turned to her and] said, "It is a pity your husband cannot be here to do justice to the occasion. Rabin is not a good speaker." And then my heretofore monosyllabic friend rose and [delivered] a speech of extraordinary passion: +eloquence+

A year later, Rabin expressed his commitment in a speech to the U.S. Congress on the occasion of paying tribute to peace with Jordan:

"Tomorrow I shall return to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel and the heart of the Jewish people. Lining the road to Jerusalem are rusting bulks of metal — burned out, silent, cold. They are the remains of convoys which brought food and medicine to the war-torn and besieged city of Jerusalem 46 years ago. For many of

Israel's citizens, their story is one of heroism, part of our national
legend. For me and for my comrades in arms, every scrap of cold
metal lying there by the wayside is a bitter memory. I remember. I
remember it as though it was just yesterday. I remember then I was
their commander in war. For them this ceremony has come too late.
What endures are their children, their comrades? It's their legacy.

"Allow me to make a personal note. I, military I.D. number
30743, retired general in the Israel Defense Forces in the past,
consider myself to be a soldier in the army of peace today. I, who
served my country for 27 years as a soldier, I say to you, this is the
only battle which is a pleasure to wage: the battle for peace.

"In the Bible, our book of the books, peace is mentioned in its
various idioms 237 times. In the Bible, from which we draw our

values and our strength, in the book of Jeremiah, we find a
lamentation for Rachel, the matriarch. It reads, 'Refrain your voice
from weeping and your eyes from tears, for their works shall be
rewarded,' saith the Lord. 'I will not refrain from weeping for those
who are gone, but on this summer day in Washington, far from home,
we sense that our work will be rewarded as the prophet foretold.'

What the prophet foretold has not yet come to pass; it seems
further away than ever. But the passion expressed by Rabin was not
simply personal; it reflected a deep yearning of the Israeli soul, which
will again [be] expressed when a real chance for peace presents

itself.

Rabin was not some mystic preaching peace in the abstract. He
was a soldier who knew better than most the complexity of Israel's

dilemma: the concessions asked of it were tangible and permanent

while the contributions of the other side were symbolic and revocable.

And when in history has there been a negotiation in which the

acceptance of the existence of a state, which normally is the

prerequisite of diplomacy, becomes its end game - in other words,

that until then, the destruction of the Jewish state was a diplomatic

option? What other state has had to live with nonrecognition for most

of its existence?

Rabin was the last person to risk Israel's security simply to gain
an international consensus. At the same time, he understood that, in
its broadest sense, strategy has a moral and psychological dimension.

As ambassador, he impressed me with the skill with which he
handled Israel's close, complex, and indispensable relationship with

the United States. America has never known neighbors intent on - or
capable of - harming it; when I first met Rabin, Israel had never
known neighbors having any other purpose. America has had every
right to ask Israel to run risks on behalf of peace; American
government officials - and I was not always exempt - have
occasionally been impatient with the precise calculations Israeli leaders
consider essential. But America also owes Israel understanding for
how circumscribed its margin of survival is.

In his dealings with me, Rabin eschewed appeals to our common
religion in favor of the elaboration of common Israeli-American
interests. He considered this task far too important to try to confuse it
with displays of charm. Rabin's contribution was his recognition that

Israeli-American cooperation, especially in crises, was most reliable if based on a sense of partnership rather than on lobbying skill.

Rabin was a tenacious negotiator. But he was also a leader who sought to guide his country from where he found it to where it has never been. Amidst the libel spread in European polls that view Israel as the greatest threat to peace, it is important with what anguish Rabin the general faced the prospect of war:

"As a military man, as a commander, as a minister of defense, I ordered to carry out many military operations. And together with the joy of victory and the grief of bereavement, I shall always remember the moment just after taking such decisions: the hush as senior officers or cabinet ministers slowly rise from their seats, the sight of

their receding backs, the sound of the closing door and then the
silence in which I remain alone.

"That is the moment you grasp that, as a result of the decision
just made, people might go to their deaths. People from my nation,
people from other nations. And they still don't know it.

"At that hour, they are still laughing and weeping, still weaving
plans and dreaming about love, still musing about planting a garden or
building a house - and they have no idea these are their last hours on
earth. Which of them is fated to die? Whose picture will appear in the
black frame in tomorrow's newspaper? Whose mother will soon be in
mourning? Whose world will crumble under the weight of the loss?

"In that moment of great tension, just before the finger pulls the
trigger, just before the fuse begins to burn - in the terrible quiet of the

11/04/03 07:43am P. 010

703 9414072

JODY WILLIAMS

moment, there is still time to wonder, to wonder alone: Is it really imperative to act? Is there no other choice? No other way? . . . "

That concern for human life was not unique to Rabin. It would come forth again if a chance for peace presented itself. In much of the public discussions, peace in the Middle East is presented as if it were a drafting problem or to push Israel back to a preconceived imposed settlement. But it is important to recognize that the principal obstacle to peace is the reluctance to accept Israel's existence. Every serious Israeli knows that peace will require major and painful adjustments, including even on the settlement issue. But the nations of the world must not design a peace process in which these adjustments are traded for a recognition without content.

How to give content to that challenge is [a problem] still with us
[today] and, over the next year or two, [one that] is likely to become
acute. A new generation of leaders must deal with it amidst terrorism
and turmoil. What will not be lacking will be dedication to the goal as
expressed by Rabin:

"Each year on memorial day for the fallen of Israel - Israel's walls, I go to the cemetery of Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. Facing me are the graves, the headstones, the colorful flowers blooming on them, and thousands of pairs of weeping eyes. I stand there in front of that large, silent crowd and read in their eyes the words of the young, dead soldiers as the famous American poet Archibald MacLeish entitled - the poem from which I take these lines. I quote: 'They say, whether our

November 4, 2003

Embassy of Israel

Excerpts from Dr. Henry Kissinger at Yitzhak Rabin's Memorial Service

"He was to me a symbol of the complexities and the commitments involved in the fate of Israel."

"As a peacemaker he overcame his doubts in fulfilling his people's dreams."

"The Oslo Agreement negotiated while he was Prime Minister represented a major risk of which no one was more aware than Yitzhak Rabin."

"Yitzhak Rabin's funeral demonstrated to what extent he had succeeded in the moral dimension of his effort. In the perspective of the tragedies of our time it seems almost unimaginable that two Arab heads of State, a Russian Prime Minister, and the American president would deliver eulogies to an Israeli leader in the presence of the heads of Government of most European nations."

"Rabin was not some mystic preaching peace in the abstract. He was not some academic who had studied the art of negotiation. He was a soldier who knew better than most the complexity of Israel's dilemmas."

"When he became Prime Minister it became Rabin's task to guide his country from where he found it to where it had never been."

"What other state has had to live with no recognition for most of its existence and extermination as its alternative? Rabin was the last person to risk Israel's security simply to gain an international consensus. At the same time he understood that in its broadest sense strategy has a moral and psychological dimension."

"There is no country more sensitive to human life than Israel."

"He realized that he had to place Israel as much as he could into the hearts of mankind."

"I am convinced, that any Israeli Prime Minister, that at the end of the day would attempt to walk the same road. And therefore, Yitzhak's sacrifice is a symbol of the tragedy, but also of our hope."

From: Lynn Gefsky <PressOfficer2@ISRAELEMB.ORG>
To: "tbenson@csis.org" <tbenson@csis.org>
Date: 11/4/03 4:12PM
Subject: Embassy of Israel-Yitzhak Rabin's memorial service 11.4.03

NOV - 5 2003

> Today, Tuesday, November 4, 2003 at 12:30pm, approximately 300 people

> gathered in the Jerusalem Hall at the Embassy of Israel to remember the

> late Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin. The memorial service marked the 8th

> anniversary of Prime Minister Rabin's tragic death. On this occasion,

> Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Daniel Ayalon, made remarks

> declaring Yitzhak Rabin a "Ohev Shalom v'rodef shalom. Not only a lover of

> peace, but a pursuer of peace." Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, a cherished

> friend of the State of Israel, gave the keynote address at the memorial

> service.

> I have attached the remarks of Ambassador Ayalon and excerpts of Dr.

> Kissinger's address for your purposes. Both men talked extensively about

> the importance that Yitzhak Rabin had on enhancing the Israel-US

> friendship. Music, poetry, Prayer and a short film marking the life of

> Yitzhak Rabin also contributed to the event.

> At today's ceremony honored guests included Assistant Secretary of State

> for Near Eastern Affairs, William Burns, Special Assistant to the

> President and Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs,

> Elliott Abrams, Congressman Saxton (R-NJ), foreign ambassadors, diplomats,

> journalists and community leaders.

> With warm regards,

> Lynn Gefsky

> <<Kissinger.doc>>

> <<Ayalon 11.4.doc>>

NOTE: This is the text of the press release in its entirety.

Yitzhak Rabin Memorial

November 4, 2003

Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to welcome you all here to Jerusalem, that is, the Jerusalem hall at the Israeli embassy to the United States in Washington DC. It is a great pleasure to see so many personal friends, friends of the embassy, and most importantly, friends of the state of Israel and friends of Yitzhak Rabin.

We are very privileged to be here with Secretary Kissinger, Congressman Saxton, Assistant Secretary Bill Burns, Mr. Elliot Abrams, and all of you who came here today.

It is already 8 years since this tragic murder took place when a despicable murderer cut short the life of a great Israeli, a great hero, and a great leader.

The memories are so fresh and are tragic. And the pain and grief that all of us in Israel feel are just as vivid as they were on that day, 8 years ago.

In Israel, we are not used to changing leaders through bullets, but through ballots. The murder was not only of a beloved Israeli hero, but also it was an attack against our core institutions and our democratic values. We were shaken to the core. But we prevailed. We prevailed because of Yitzhak Rabin's legacy.

He was the chief of staff who delivered us from the Six Day War that was forced upon us. He was then Ambassador here in Washington. It was during his time here that the special relationship between Israel and the United States was forged, and we all appreciate and value it now. I am proud to say now that the relationship between Israel and the United States has

never been better than it is today. It is because of the legacy
of Yitzhak Rabin.

There is much said about the common bond between the two
countries based on our values and common threats. But also,
in a very unique way, our histories are entwined. If you look
back on how America was formed and how Israel was, we are
people who often came with broken spirits, to find a new home
in new frontiers of excellence with equality to all.

Also, very tragic and traumatic events helped shape America
and Israel. All Americans felt like Israelis on the tragic day of 9-
11. And we all in Israel felt like Americans when Rabin was
murdered, when former American presidents were murdered,
and lastly, in this generation, we still remember vividly the loss
the beloved American president, JFK. So we know each other,
we feel the same and much of it is because of the legacy of
Yitzhak Rabin.

Yitzhak Rabin was an "Ohev Shalom v'rodef shalom. " Not
only a lover of peace, but a pursuer of peace.

He once said, "*Enough of blood and tears. Enough!*" When
Israel's partners arrive at that same conclusion, Israel will
embrace the opportunity to pursue a true peace with them.

Prime Minister Sharon has always said that for a genuine and
durable peace, we are willing to make painful concessions.
And I don't think that there is any other people in the world
who have voluntarily and willingly made painful concessions of
giving up parts of its homeland, where its cradle of nationality
and history was formed. Without even a war- just to make
peace.

We come today not only to mourn Yitzhak Rabin. We come
also to honor and salute him. There is no better way to honor

and salute him than having Secretary Kissinger do this task.
Dr. Kissinger needs no introduction. It is actually very difficult
to introduce him because there is nothing that can be said
about him that has not been said in the past. He is a
statesman's statesman who's vision and courage as a leader
literally changed the course of history. His formidable intellect
and prowess is well known, his books are textbooks for
scholars and diplomats alike. The only thing I can say is that
what Mozart is to music or Van Gough is to painting, so is Dr.
Kissinger to diplomacy. We are very honored to have him here
with us.

END

NOV 04 2003 1:45AM HP LASERJET 3200

P.8

-2-

Allow me to make a personal note. I, military I.D. number 30743, retired general in the Israel Defense Forces in the past, consider myself to be a soldier in the army of peace today. I, who served my country for 27 years as a soldier, I say to you, ~~to Your Majesty~~, this is the only battle which is a pleasure to wage: the battle for peace.

Tomorrow on the way up to Jerusalem, thousands of flowers will cover the remains of those rusting armored vehicles, the ones that never made it to the city. Tomorrow, from those silent metal heaps, thousand of flowers will smile to us with the word 'peace, shalom.'

In the Bible, our book of the books, peace is mentioned in its various idioms 237 times. In the Bible, from which we draw our values and our strength, in the book of Jeremiah, we find a lamentation for Rachel, the matriarch. It reads, 'Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for their works shall be rewarded,' saith the Lord. 'I will not refrain from weeping for those who are gone, but on this summer day in Washington, far from home, we sense that our work will be rewarded as the prophet foretold.'"

NOV 04 2003 1:48AM HP LASERJET 3200

P.11

As a former military man, I will also forever remember the silence of the moment before: the hush when the hands of the clock seem to be spinning forward, when time is running out and in another hour, another minute, the inferno will erupt.

NOV 04 2003 1:44AM HP LASERJET 3200

"Each year on memorial day for the fallen of Israel - Israel's walls, I go to the cemetery of Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. Facing me are the graves, the headstones, the colorful flowers blooming on them, and thousands of pairs of weeping eyes. I stand there in front of that large, silent crowd and read in their eyes the words of the young, dead soldiers as the famous American poet Archibald MacLeish entitled - the poem from which I take these lines. I quote: 'They say, whether our lives and our death were for peace and a new hope or for nothing, we cannot say. It is you who must say this.'...

Tomorrow I shall return to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel and the heart of the Jewish people. Lining the road to Jerusalem are rusting bulks of metal-burned-out, silent, cold. They are the remains of convoys which brought food and medicine to the war-torn and besieged city of Jerusalem 46 years ago. For many of Israel's citizens, their story is one of heroism, part of our national legend. For me and for my comrades in arms, every scrap of cold metal lying there by the wayside is a bitter memory. I remember. I remember it as though it was just yesterday. I remember then I was their commander in war. For them this ceremony has come too late. What endures are their children, their comrades? It's their legacy.