Like all other members of the Senate, I wish to endorse the remarks of all senators in support of this motion. Last week I had the opportunity in my office late on Tuesday evening to watch live the funeral ceremony from Israel. No-one who watched that could have been other than completely moved by the remarks made by such an extraordinary range of political leaders. But without doubt the most moving speech, and one of the most moving I have ever heard, was by his granddaughter, who spoke so eloquently and movingly of a personal memory of her grandfather. I think that said more to any of those watching than all the other excellent remarks made by all those political leaders.
Certainly Prime Minister Rabin had a remarkable political life in Israel—a person who was born there in the 1920s, was a fighter for Israel’s independence through all those wars, became Prime Minister in the 1970s, lost office and then returned nearly 20 years later to become Prime Minister again. He then became the leader for the peace movement and the establishment of the dialogue and now, what we all hope for, a permanent settlement with the Palestinian people.
There is no doubt that, in any terms of history, very few people in any country will play such a role as Prime Minister Rabin played in his country through his whole life. Clearly, he has been a remarkable figure in this century in terms of human events.
