Blogs

Translated by: Eitan Behar

From this stage, I would like to send my warm greetings to the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, and to the Egyptian people.
The peace between Israel and Egypt changed history and proved that the swords can indeed be beaten into plowshares.
The peace agreement with the most important country in the Arab world changed the face of the Middle East and created the basic partnership between those who seek peace in the region.
“Mr. President, we are seeking a full peace, a true one, that will combine an absolute reconciliation between the Jewish and the Arab people.” So said Menachem Begin, late Prime Minister of Israel, to Anwar Sadat, President of Egyptian President, on the Knesset podium.
Thirty years have passed, one generation has passed and a new one has arrived, and these words are as true today as they were the day they first were spoken.
The courage and vision of those two gentlemen, Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, made the impossible possible, 30 years ago.
Sadat’s call for “No more war” touched Israeli hearts.  That call fostered a situation in which Israeli citizens became willing to make generous concessions and to go far for the sake of peace.
As a matter of fact, Israel takes this stand whenever an Arab leader shows he is truly committed to peace, whether it is President Sadat of Egypt, whether it is King Hussein of Jordan, whether it is a Likud government under Menachem Begin or a Labor government under Yitzhak Rabin.
The people of Israel strive for peace, dream for peace, long for peace.
The great aspiration to peace, and the willingness to act, with a true heart, for it, has always existed.  And, make no mistake, this same aspiration is valid and it exists in all its strength, even today.
Only those who have tasted the bitter taste of war and suffered the terrible grief of bereavement, may understand and value the importance of peace.
The government that I am about to form will do everything necessary to achieve a just and lasting peace with all our neighbors as well as the entire Arab world.
Any of our neighbors who would truly be willing to walk toward peace will find our hands open.
Thirty years ago, Anwar Sadat proved his true commitment to peace.  He permanently abandoned violence and chose true peace.  He did not speak peace while secretly preparing for war.  He did not negotiate with Israel while providing shelter for terrorist organizations.
He spoke about the hope for a new and better future for both Egypt and Israel, and the concern for the wealth and lives of Jews and Arabs, as one.  And, he meant everything he said, word for word.
But, in the end, peace is not to be examined by the beauty of declarations and fancy speeches.  The test of peace is its durability, and the peace with Egypt has proven its strength and stability without doubt.
The peace between us has lasted more than a generation.  Facing all storms of time, our peace has not weakened during regional wars, it has lasted through waves of terrorism and stood strong as the world and governments have changed.
The agreement that so many expected to be short lived has proven itself to be permanent, solid and irreversible.
What is the secret of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty?
The answer is clear: the existence of peace serves the deepest interests of both countries.  It promises the future of our children and the future generations of both people.
We certainly hope the roots of the peace with Egypt will deepen, and that it will sprout branches of blessing, that the political ties between us will become even stronger and that the peace will spread to the horizons.
True, we would be happier if our relationship would grow closer, most importantly in the arena of economics, and I believe there is a lot we can do in this field.
In 1956, we had to tape our windows because of bombing.  In the beginning of June 1967, I landed in Lod airport, into absolute darkness, and I recall the flashes of the light bombs and the sound of cannons on the banks of the Suez Canal.  I remember my fellow soldiers who fell and the grief of their families who lost their most precious loved ones.
It happened in Israel.  It happened in Egypt, too.
But, today we mark three decades with no war, no bloodshed, and for this historic change, we should be grateful.
Let us mark this moment by traveling back in our minds, to that landmark meeting that took place over this podium, between the president of Egypt and the prime minister of Israel.
May it be that we, too, will be blessed with the spirit of those distinguished leaders, and take it upon ourselves to strive indefatigably to see their exalted vision of peace be fulfilled in many more fronts.

Last posts Bureau

• Following are excerpts from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's re mark s at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today: - May 5th, 2009
• PM Netanyahu's Yom Ha'atzmaut Message to the Diaspora Communities - April 29th, 2009
• Address by PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day - April 20th, 2009
• PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the Start of the Weekly Cabinet Meeting - April 20th, 2009
• 100 Days team - April 19th, 2009
• Netanyahu: I would like to emphasize three things that will guide us: Unity, responsibility and work. - April 5th, 2009
• Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech 03.31.2009 - April 1st, 2009
• Breaking news from the Likud Parliamentary Party meeting - March 30th, 2009
• POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES OF A NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT - March 29th, 2009
• Netanyahu at the Likud Parliamentary Party meeting: "The nation of Israel is in dire need of a strong government" - March 26th, 2009

Tags: 30 years, Anuwar Sadat, egypt, Netanyahu, peace, speech

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 21:22 and is filed under The Bureau Blog, כללי. You can post a comment.