Statement by Ambassador Gad Yaacobi
Permanent Representative of Israel
to the United Nations
Special Commemorative Meeting
in Memory of Mr. Yitzhak Rabin
Late Prime Minister of Israel
50th Session of the General Assembly
United Nations
5 December 1995
New York
Mr. President,
Thirty days have passed since that tragic day when we paid our final
respects to Yitzhak Rabin in Jerusalem. Today has special significance in
the Jewish tradition, as it marks the end of the period of mourning. But
the sorrow remains in the hearts of each one of us.
With Rabin's assassination, we lost a great statesman; a courageous
soldier in both war and peace; a fine human being; a devoted son of
Israel, the Jewish people and mankind. I also lost a friend.
The great American poet, Walt Whitman, expressed the feelings shared by
many of us during this difficult period:
"My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse or will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I walk with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead."
The story of Yitzhak Rabin is the story of Israel itself. He was a man
who assumed responsibility from a young age and served his nation as few
others have. At the age of fourteen he began his military service in the
Palmach, the elite forces of the pre-State army. He was a brigade
commander in Israel's War of Independence and the Chief of Staff of the
Israel Defense Forces in the Six Day War. Upon completion of his military
career he became Israel's Ambassador to the United States. In later years
he served as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.
He led Israel to agreements with the Palestinians, the peace treaty with
Jordan, and the breakthroughs with the Maghreb and Gulf states. He became
a Nobel peace prize laureate.
During one of our last conversations, I mentioned a mutual friend who had
recently passed away. After a short pause, Rabin said to me, "Not many of
my friends are still alive. Most of them died in war. I am one of the last
ones who remain from my generation. It is up to me to make a better
tomorrow. This is my obligation to those who fell and my commitment to
their children and their grandchildren."
He was a man of great integrity. A man who always meant what he said, said
what he meant, and did what he said and meant.
Only ten days before his assassination, Yitzhak Rabin was here in the
General Assembly participating in the fiftieth anniversary of the founding
of the United Nations. The words he spoke as he stood at this very spot
still echo in this chamber today:
"In the past fifty years this podium has seen empires fall, and borders
erased. But it has also seen people awaken to their freedom and the
nations of the world display their flags side by side. It has become
possible to fulfill the words of the prophet Isaiah, a son of the Jewish
people: "They shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation, neither
shall they learn war any more.
And he continued,
"As long as children die from hunger, our job here is not yet finished. As
long as man raises his hand against his brother. As long as there is no
peace in every corner of the earth, the international community must stand
guard and commit itself fully in both word and deed."
At a dinner that we hosted last month in his honor he said, "there is no
other way to ensure the security and a better future for the generations
to come than through the path of peace." Then he added, "I am, after all,
just a simple soldier." Yitzhak Rabin was a soldier in service of the
Jewish nation and the State of Israel. Most of all, he was a soldier for
peace who fell in the line of duty.
Yitzhak Rabin gave his life in the pursuit of his vision. He became a
victim of the enemies of peace. But the bullet that killed him cannot kill
peace. Indeed, the need for peace is strong, and the support for peace has
increased.
The last words from his lips at that fateful peace rally in what is now
called "Yitzhak Rabin Square" in Tel Aviv, were from the "Song of Peace":
"Lift your eyes with hope, not through the rifle sights
Sing a song for love, and not for wars
Don't say the day will come, bring the day because it is not a dream
And within all the city's squares, cheer only peace."
The best way to honor the memory of Yitzhak Rabin is to continue in his
path toward peace and a brighter future for Israel and for the peoples of
the Middle East. Rabin's legacy, along with the government of Prime
Minister Shimon Peres, our peace seeking neighbors, and the international
community, will allow us to continue in his path. May his memory be a
blessing for us all.
Thank you, Mr. President.