|
Honorable President Moshe Katzav, and Mrs. Gila Katzav,
Madam Speaker of the Knesset, Dalia Itzik,
President of the Supreme Court, Justice Dorit Beinish,
Rabin family,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
11 years have passed, and it is the 11th of Heshvan again – the time of autumn. Here, in the final resting place of the nation's leaders, prominent heads of State gathered to pay homage and respects to the slain Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, a man of valor and peace.
An entire nation stood stricken with grief and horror over this evil which befell us, over a despicable murderer from within us, whose hand struck at the very heart of the nation.
Eleven years, autumn, and again we visit this gravestone under which Yitzhak Rabin is buried, on the hills of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the circle of his life: he was born in Jerusalem, he fought for its redemption in 1948, he commanded its liberation and unity in 1967, he safeguarded it, and then – he was covered in the ashes of Jerusalem, with a bullet in his back.
The stones of Jerusalem cry out at this injury and the mark of disgrace etched in our Jewish history on the night of the murder, written in blood among its pages:
"…may thick darkness snatch that night…
May that night be desolate; may no joyful song come into it;
May its twilight stars be dimmed,
May it crave light but have none
May it not see the glimmer of dawn." (Job, 3:5-9)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
One does not have to be a follower of Yitzhak Rabin or share his ideological beliefs in order to cherish him for his leadership, his insurmountable contribution to fortifying the security of the State of Israel and his achievements as a military commander and a statesman.
From the dawn of his youth he dedicated his life to his people, to the battle for national revival, to the buildup of the military force, to the defense of the nation, to the improvement of its international standing, to the enhancement of its economy and social texture and to a courageous pursuit of peace.
Political advocates and rivals alike valued his integrity, decency and unbounded dedication to the national tasks.
Yitzhak Rabin was struck down while climbing a path whose end goal – so he believed – was to bring the State of Israel to its sought-after aspiration: peace and security on every front.
He climbed and reached that pinnacle which was the peace with the Kingdom of Jordan – signed in the plains of the Negev. The other peaks for which he strove – peace agreements with Syria and the Palestinians – remained at the time of his death unattained, shrouded in a cloak of uncertainty, and the paths which he courageously walked were strewn with obstacles and controversy.
We will never know whether they would have led us to our destination. The bullets of the assassin left behind fateful questions unanswered, and Rabin's Legacy remains divided and partly disputed.
Our yearning for Yitzhak Rabin is deep and genuine, encompassing all spectrums of opinions, because of what he was and who he was. At the same time, it is also a yearning for the Israel that was before that terrible murder which left such a deep scar on our souls. It is a yearning for a State of Israel which, in its innocence, could not believe – even at the height of a tormenting dispute – that it would ever witness the assassination of a Prime Minister.
The murder left us sad and devoid of illusions, no longer immune to the sword of hatred between brothers. However, there is still a sign of good and a lesson to be learnt. Last year, the State of Israel faced the supreme test of a stormy internal dispute and a democratic ruling – and withstood that test with moral strength, pain, sensitivity and pride.
The murder of a Prime Minister did not deprive Israel of its ability to make difficult political decisions and carry them through. The honor of Israeli democracy, desecrated in the Rabin assassination, was again redeemed.
With esteem, love and admiration – which do not blur the disagreements – I salute the memory of Yitzhak Rabin – in the name of a respectful and grateful nation, which mourns him deeply, and in the fond memory of Leah, his faithful and dedicated wife, who walked with him all along the way and who, upon his murder, carried the flame of his legacy until her dying day.
May the memories of Yitzhak and Leah Rabin be blessed.
|