More Quotes
“On the right and on the left, we are behaving like we’re paralyzed. We are avoiding asking, what can we do now to live together? We aren’t doomed to live together – our future is to live together.” President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, addressing the Haaretz Israel Peace Conference (12/11/15).
“The Zionist dream embraces the concept of Israel as a Jewish democracy, a beacon of light to all nations […] That dream can only be upheld by two states living side by side in security […] We all know from years of discussion and efforts: this is not an impossible dream. It is achievable.” (US Secretary of State, John Kerry, addressing the UN 11/11/15)
“I am delighted to participate in this initiative, which is supported by the British Embassy, and which works to bring together all the citizens of Israel through sport. Today we see young Israelis – Jewish and Muslim children – playing football not just against each other, but together. This is just one example of coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel. We are cooperating together in Jaffa, in Akko, in Jerusalem, and across the country. Such coexistence can be an example for our relations with our neighbors the Palestinians, and the whole region.”
“[Boycotters are] a very small minority… I cannot think of anything more foolish than to say you want to have any kind of divestment or sanctions or boycott against a country that, when all is said and done, is the only democracy in the region, is the only place that has, in my view, a pluralist open society” (The mayor of London Boris Johnson speaking on a visit to Israel, 09/11/2015).
“Yitzhak was a noble man, a president who was a man of the people, and one beloved by the people. His door was always open to all. … He never hesitated to speak what was in his heart, nor did he hesitate to intervene when he felt it was his moral duty, even if it came at a personal and professional cost.
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Darling Yitzhak, our beloved president, we wanted you to stay here, with us, just a while longer, but your presence was required in the heavens … You had the privilege to walk down your life’s path hand in hand with the State of Israel. You were a beacon, and the public always knew to look to you when the road was unclear.
Your life took you on the path of the Israeli people and the Israeli nation. Time and time again you found yourself playing a significant role in our nation’s meaningful junctions, as an adviser, a government official and educator, a diplomat and a statesman, as a minister and as president, and every event bears your unique mark, shaping the road ahead.
Now that you have come here, to the President’s Residence, for the very last time, on behalf of the people of Israel, on behalf of all Israeli presidents, I bow my head and bid you farewell.”
(President Reuven Rivlin speaking at the funeral of Israel’s fifth president, Yitzhak Navon, 08/11/2015)
“Rabin was not murdered because of the man he was or because of the beliefs and ideas he held. The assassin regarded him as a national symbol and shot him wishing to undermine the decision-making abilities of Israel’s democratic government. That murder was not only a traumatic experience that must not be forgotten, but also a decisive national breaking point.” (Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Fathom’s eBook The Life and Legacy of Yizhak Rabin)