Luncheon Speech in Commemoration of Yitzhak Rabin

Your Majesties
Mrs. Leah Rabin
Presidents
Prime Ministers
Your excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen.

One of the great works of literature capturing the history of the Jewish people – “The last of the just” by André Schwarz-Bart - begins like this:

When tonight we gaze upon the heaven, our eyes still receive the light from stars that long ago ceased to exist.

I believe all who took part in the commemoration ceremony felt how strongly this image applies to Yitzhak Rabin. We, the living, continue to draw light and inspiration from his legacy.

Never underestimate the ability of the individual to change the world. Together Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat changed the way we think about the Middle East - and the world was not to be the same.

President Clinton has devoted his great energy to making sure that the peace process stays on track. Present here are leaders and distinguished representatives of governments and organisations that have made invaluable contributions to our joint efforts.

Many of you knew Johan Jørgen Holst, our late foreign minister who worked so hard for peace in the Middle East. A few weeks before the first Oslo agreement was a fact in September 1993, he made it clear that - yes, there will be setbacks and great risks, frustration and anger.

But – he said - there can be no going back to the past.

He was right.

Over the last two days a number of informal meetings have been taking place. This is exactly what we wanted – to create a forum that at this crucial stage could help bring the peace process forward. If we succeed in this – it is our joint reward.

Make no mistake. Hard choices and decisions lie ahead. I believe it was our friend prime minister Ehud Barak who - when we met yesterday - reminded me that everyone cannot have all their dreams come true.

Giving up part of one´s dream may be painful. But that is what will be required – to strike the balance between your own interests and those of another. That is also what I felt was the essence in Leah Rabin´s passionate appeal to Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat at the end of her speech at the Royal palace last night.

Your majesties, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen;

It is an honour and a pleasure for me and the Norwegian government that you are all with us here today to share in this meal.

Three months from now we will all be celebrating the dawn of the new millenium. And Christianity will be celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Christ two thousand years ago.

In February this year I visited Israel and the Palestinian area. In Bethlehem I sat down and shared a meal with leaders of the three major religions to which that land is sacred. It was for me a moving moment. For all the differences, I detected a determination to look beyond what divides and focus on what unites.

This is what we, too, should do - and it is in this spirit that I welcome all of you most heartily to this luncheon.

I ask you to join me in raising our glasses to all those present - and to lasting peace in the Middle East.

Thank you.