Yitzhak Rabin Quotes - Page 2

Military cemeteries in every corner of the world are silent testimony to the failure of national leaders to sanctify human life.

There is no way of finding the middle ground, even with the best intentions of the world. Our most sensible policy is to stall.

I'll continue to carry out whatever we are committed to. Whatever we believe leads us to a permanent solution the way we want it, the way I want it.

It is not worth the paper it is written on unless it is backed by the kind of force that will make the other side consider the penalties too heavy to break the agreement.

Israel is no longer a people that dwells alone, and has to join the global journey toward peace, reconciliation and international cooperation.

I was a military man for 27 years. I fought so long as there was no chance for peace. I believe that there is now a chance for peace, a great chance. We must take advantage of it for the sake of those standing here, and for those who are not here - and they are many.

We will not rest until we reach a permanent agreement [with the Palestinians] that would secure a safe future for our children and that would provide us with renewed hope to live in a region where people lead a life of co-operation and not, God forbid, where blood is shed.

But, more than anything, in the more than three years of this Government's existence, the Israeli people has proven that it is possible to make peace, that peace opens the door to a better economy and society; that peace is not just a prayer. Peace is first of all in our prayers, but it is also the aspiration of the Jewish people, a genuine aspiration for peace.

We are ready to compromise. We are ready to take calculated risks, but for a peace that will give us security.

I, serial number 30743, Major General Yitzhak Rabin, am a soldier in the army of peace.

I am 73 years old. I was born in Jerusalem. I'm the first prime minister of Israel to be born here. I am the only former general to become a prime minister.

I don't believe that in the name of the holiness of the city you have to put barbed wires, machine gun nests, mine pins and everything of that, in the name of the holiness of Jerusalem.

We did not think that [Egyptian President] Nasser wanted war. The two divisions he sent to Sinai on May 14 would not have been sufficient to launch an offensive against Israel. He knew it and we knew it.

Jerusalem is united, will never be divided again.

It is the duty of the government to guarantee maximum security, and this is not an easy task.

The negotiations must address all aspects, both peace and withdrawal.

Steps toward a rapprochement between Israel and the Arab states create a process that turns economics into the moving force that shapes the regional relations instead of nationalist interests that were dominant in the past.

In the midst of fighting there is no place for public debate.

It is my hope that I could be not just a Prime Minister, but a Prime Minister for Aboriginal affairs, the first I imagine that we've ever had.

We are committed to free access and free practice, to the members of the other two religions, to the holy shrines in Jerusalem. To the Muslims, to the Christians.

I am healthy. I wish all my colleagues to the peace process to be healthy.

The struggle to get weapons is continuous, but the United States will aid us, if it finds Israel displaying a willingness for peace.

Vis a vis the Golan Heights, the present government of Israel, under my leadership, is the first government that is ready to speak about a withdrawal.

We have the right to ensure our security, especially when it is possible to reach agreement on a political solution.

I'm not saying Christopher Pyne and all them are my enemies, they're great blokes, shouted me a few beers a couple of times which I like, it's - we have got to sit down with the people like that. We have got to sit down with people like that and negotiate and work our way through. If we don't do that then we're just going to continue the sins of the past.