Remarks upon signing the Washington Declaration, Washington, July 25, 1994
Honorable President of the United States; His Royal Highness, King of Jordan; honorable guests, shalom,
Millions of pairs of eyes throughout the world are looking at us now with relief and great joy. It could be that at this moment the nightmare of war is passing from the world. Millions of pairs of eyes in the Middle East are looking at us at this moment with great hope coming from their hearts:
it could be that our children and our grandchildren will no longer know war.
Ladies and gentlemen, today we are handing a lovely gift to our people. The declaration which we have just signed, here in Washington, is the closest thing to a peace treaty. We have come a long way towards a full peace treaty, and even if our work has yet to be completed, I hope and believe, that the day is not far when we will return to the documents and the signatures for the last time – for signing a final, last peace treaty.
Mr. President, His Royal Highness, this is the twilight hour in our homes in the Middle East. In just an hour, darkness will descend, but the residents of Jordan and Israel will see a great light. We took a big step today towards peace. Israel and Jordan have chosen to speak with each other rather than continuing the state of the war. From here, at a distance of thousands of miles from home, I want to congratulate the residents of Israel and Jordan today, to remember those who have fallen in wars from both sides and to say to the children on both sides of the border: We pray and hope that your lives will be different from ours. I believe that we are a small country with a big heart. We are aware of the torment and the suffering of people anywhere in the world. At this hour, when we are celebrating in Washington, an Israeli medical rescue unit is trying to save thousands of people who are likely to die in Rwanda. However, at the very same time, soldiers from the IDF rescue unit are trying to rescue bodies of their people and others from the rubble in Buenos Aires, the result of a terrible terrorist act against Jews because they are Jews. IDF soldiers in Rwanda and IDF soldiers in Argentina with their comrades defending their lives in Israel, are the same side of the same coin. In the Washington Declaration, there is a lot more than the two sides wanted when they decided to formulate it ten days ago. The declaration testifies to our ability in Israel and in Jordan, to accelerate the efforts for peace, to overcome the obstacles, to a breakthrough moving forward, and end 46 years of enmity.
Mr. President, thank you, thank you for everything you have done for us, and will surely yet do. We are now embarking upon a path that must be completed and I turn to the United States, the leader of the efforts for peace in the Middle East and ask it to help those same nations and those same peoples demonstrating courage and taking risks on behalf of peace, because this is a good and worthy goal. The diplomatic achievements presented today to the public, here in Washington, are part of a large entanglement that still must be clarified in serious discussions ahead of us, beginning with the difficult issues of borders and water sources, and the continuation of trade relations and economic ties, upon which the peace in our region will be based, and of course, on security and diplomatic ties. Our obligation from today is to turn the dry clauses into living reality, to expand them and develop them for the welfare of all of us. This wonderful task, Mr. President, would not have been complete without your leadership and determination in the process of making peace in the Middle East. You have already set your place in history, a place of honor, and we thank you. We owe a thank you from our hearts to Secretary of State Warren Christopher and his peace team, devotedly worked on peace. And we also are indebted to previous generations of American government officials who for years sought to bridge between Israel, Jordan and other Arab peoples.
Honorable President of the United States; His Royal Highness, King of Jordan; with your permission, a few words in Hebrew for the citizens of Israel watching us now. We add today another rung on the ladder ascending to realizing the dream of peace. The complete peace with Jordan is attainable. We will work with Jordan to the finish. We are all blessed today by the Washington Declaration: Israelis, Jordanians, all who pursue freedom and peace. Tomorrow morning, we will awaken to a new page in our history. And about that we can say: “This is the day that the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be happy in it.” Good evening to you there at home in Israel. We have hope that tomorrow everything can be different. A message of peace to you from the act of peace.
God Bless You
