(Communicated by the Office of the President)

President Shimon Peres (Sunday, 10 November 2013) delivered a special address during the state ceremony marking 40 years since his passing of David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, at his grave in Sde Boker. The President evoked Ben-Gurion's legacy of safeguarding the security of Israel's citizens through an uncompromising drive towards peace with our neighbors, and addressed the crucial decisions facing the State of Israel today.

President Peres said, "We are gathered here today to honor the memory of David Ben-Gurion, but also to remind ourselves that we must carry on along his path: A vision to provide security to our citizens, to make the desert bloom, to establish long-lasting peace with our neighbors and to be a moral nation. His legacy will continue to enlighten our path and guide us. We are grateful to history for placing a man like him at the crossroads of the most important and difficult decisions of our people's history for two thousand years. We remember that great opportunities often emerge from trying times.

Today again we face important decisions. Today again we may not leave our destinies to the winds blowing through our region. In order to keep control over our destinies, we must keep the initiative in our hands. We must turn the vision of two states for two peoples into a reality, and prevent a deterioration of our situation which would lead to a bi-national state. A bi-national state which would not guarantee a Jewish majority would endanger the survival of Israel as a Jewish homeland and a democratic country."

President Peres continued: "Ben Gurion carried the heavy burden of this responsibility at the birth of our country. He made a decision – surrendering territories in order to guarantee a Jewish majority. Without a Jewish majority, the future of the Jewish homeland is not guaranteed. Many changes have come to pass since then, but this choice remains relevant to this day. It is the same as it was 66 years ago. Then as today, the differences between us and the Palestinians can be bridged. Neither we nor our neighbors have a better alternative. I know that there is mistrust between us. But the purpose of peace is to convert a history of mistrust into a reality of trust. It can be done. Peoples are difficult to change, but relations between people can be changed."

President Peres addressed the latest round of negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program in Geneva and said, "Yesterday the P5+1 did not come to an agreement, and rightly so. A deal which does not prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power must not be signed. The wording at hand does not answer this requirement. Preventing a nuclear Iran was the P5+1's very purpose and I hope that it remains so. This is also the unyielding position of the State of Israel. We are not opposed to diplomacy to achieve this goal. But there is no point in a deal which would not prevent Iran from becoming nuclear. I believe that our government's position, expressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is right."