lennart
02-11-02, 23:12
Calls for peace dominated speeches by international dignitaries at Saturday's memorial service to mark the seventh anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, at the Tel Aviv square where he was gunned down in 1995, and which is now named for him.
Over 100,000 people gathered under the slogan "Remembering together - believing in peace" where Rabin was shot dead by an extreme right-wing Jew during a peace rally.
Paying tribute in a speech transmitted to the crowd, Jordanian King Abdullah hailed Rabin as "a brave and good man," who had been "assassinated by an enemy of peace."
Abdullah appealed for peace, saying that the steps on the road to peace that have already been taken could not be reversed.
"The enemies of peace did not, could not turn back the clock," he said. "The peacemakers had shone a spotlight on truce that can never again be denied. We know it's not normal, not inevitable that neighbors should live as enemies. It's not normal, not inevitable that families should lose their children to violence. It's not normal, not inevitable that young people should live without hope."
"The vast majority of people on both sides want peace," Abdullah said. "It's up to us to listen to the voices of peace, or bow to the obstructionists, the extremists, the opportunists."
A taped speech by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak echoed the king's call for an end to violence, warning Israel that the only way to guarantee its security was through making peace with its neighbors.
"Your meeting today in this place specially, despite the pains and difficult circumstances that resulted from recent events, sends a strong message to the world that the passing of Rabin does not mean the end of peace," said Mubarak, whose nation in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
The Egyptian leader drew a parallel between Rabin and his own predecessor Anwar Sadat, saying both men lost their lives to "forces of deception."
"We are sure that peace will triumph in the end because it is the aim of all people in the region, and it's the shortest way to achieve security for all," Mubarak said.
He praised Rabin as a "distinguished international personality and a great leader, a sensitive and unique politician who understood - due to his long experience and sharp vision - that there is a limit to the use of power, which should not be crossed to kill civilians, put them under siege, and starve them, destroy their houses."
In an apparent reference to suicide bombings by Palestinian militants, Mubarak said he condemned what he called "the force of violence and destruction motivated by a desire to hurt and exact revenge without any consideration for moral, human or religious standards."
Obstacles can be overcome, he said, "if we share the determination to realize the visions that we share with Rabin based on making the Middle East a model to follow in peaceful and secure coexistence between the peoples, races, and religions."
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, speaking in a televised speech, mourned his friend and urged Israelis "to continue Yitzhak Rabin's path of peace."
He told the crowd that the fact that "peace seems so far away" did not mean that "Rabin's life was in vain." He described the prime minister as a "soldier for peace" who had been killed by "a wound suffered by waging peace."
Rabin knew "the overriding importance of reconciliation, and the connection between security and peace," he said.
Some 2,000 police and security guards, including snipers and airborne troops were deployed to patrol the area, which was closed to traffic as part of a massive security operation.
Others addressing the ceremony were Rabin's daughter, Dalia Rabin-Pelossof, Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai and former Shin Bet security chief Ami Ayalon, but like last year, no politicians spoke.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=226168&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0
Over 100,000 people gathered under the slogan "Remembering together - believing in peace" where Rabin was shot dead by an extreme right-wing Jew during a peace rally.
Paying tribute in a speech transmitted to the crowd, Jordanian King Abdullah hailed Rabin as "a brave and good man," who had been "assassinated by an enemy of peace."
Abdullah appealed for peace, saying that the steps on the road to peace that have already been taken could not be reversed.
"The enemies of peace did not, could not turn back the clock," he said. "The peacemakers had shone a spotlight on truce that can never again be denied. We know it's not normal, not inevitable that neighbors should live as enemies. It's not normal, not inevitable that families should lose their children to violence. It's not normal, not inevitable that young people should live without hope."
"The vast majority of people on both sides want peace," Abdullah said. "It's up to us to listen to the voices of peace, or bow to the obstructionists, the extremists, the opportunists."
A taped speech by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak echoed the king's call for an end to violence, warning Israel that the only way to guarantee its security was through making peace with its neighbors.
"Your meeting today in this place specially, despite the pains and difficult circumstances that resulted from recent events, sends a strong message to the world that the passing of Rabin does not mean the end of peace," said Mubarak, whose nation in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
The Egyptian leader drew a parallel between Rabin and his own predecessor Anwar Sadat, saying both men lost their lives to "forces of deception."
"We are sure that peace will triumph in the end because it is the aim of all people in the region, and it's the shortest way to achieve security for all," Mubarak said.
He praised Rabin as a "distinguished international personality and a great leader, a sensitive and unique politician who understood - due to his long experience and sharp vision - that there is a limit to the use of power, which should not be crossed to kill civilians, put them under siege, and starve them, destroy their houses."
In an apparent reference to suicide bombings by Palestinian militants, Mubarak said he condemned what he called "the force of violence and destruction motivated by a desire to hurt and exact revenge without any consideration for moral, human or religious standards."
Obstacles can be overcome, he said, "if we share the determination to realize the visions that we share with Rabin based on making the Middle East a model to follow in peaceful and secure coexistence between the peoples, races, and religions."
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, speaking in a televised speech, mourned his friend and urged Israelis "to continue Yitzhak Rabin's path of peace."
He told the crowd that the fact that "peace seems so far away" did not mean that "Rabin's life was in vain." He described the prime minister as a "soldier for peace" who had been killed by "a wound suffered by waging peace."
Rabin knew "the overriding importance of reconciliation, and the connection between security and peace," he said.
Some 2,000 police and security guards, including snipers and airborne troops were deployed to patrol the area, which was closed to traffic as part of a massive security operation.
Others addressing the ceremony were Rabin's daughter, Dalia Rabin-Pelossof, Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai and former Shin Bet security chief Ami Ayalon, but like last year, no politicians spoke.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=226168&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0