Clinton, Peres, Open AIPAC 1996 Convention

By Nathan Jones

In 1995 President Bill Clinton became the first serving American president to speak at the annual convention of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israel’s principal Washington, DC lobby. At the organization’s 1996 convention, which opened April 28 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, President Clinton again broke a record. Sharing opening night honors with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, he became the first serving president to speak twice before an AIPAC convention. What’s more, the president said, only half in jest, “I can make history now every year from now on until the end of my life.”

Clinton was preceded to the dais by Peres, who addressed him as “a great leader of the free world” who has “led the struggle for a better life in our part of the world and you have succeeded.” Peres continued:

“As a true friend of the State and people of Israel, you embraced a whole nation when we were in pain. You provided a supporting shoulder to us to achieve an historic goal. You captured our hearts when you stood at the tomb of the unforgettable Yitzhak Rabin. Again, you shed a tear after the terrorist bombings killed innocent people in Jerusalem, Ashkelon and Tel Aviv. Never shall I forget your moving encounters with the Israeli youth. I saw their eyes light up with brightness, with hope, with faith. In the name of the generation of hope in Israel, thank you Mr. President.”

Peres also described AIPAC as “an American grassroots organization dedicated to enhancing United States-Israel relations” and called its activities “essential.” On behalf of the people of Israel he also thanked “the Jewish community of America for its wonderful partnership” and vowed that “together we will continue to work, in brotherly unison, with faith and determination, for peace and security for all, and to transform another dream into a new exciting reality.”

In his own remarks, the U.S. president placed the blame for the deaths of 162 people in Lebanon during the Israeli defense forces “Operation Grapes of Wrath” squarely on Lebanon’s Hezbollah (Party of God) militia. Further, he said that “our commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable,” and he thanked AIPAC for being “a powerful voice in favor of” the counter-terrorism bill he had signed the previous week.

Excerpts from the president’s remarks before the AIPAC audience follow:

“You have devoted yourselves to strengthening the bonds between the United States and Israel, a cornerstone of our foreign policy and of our efforts to advance peace and freedom and democracy in the Middle East...

“It was at this conference last year that Israel’s then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said, from day one Israel found itself in a unique alliance with the United States, resting on twin pillars of shared values and strategic partnership. Well, it’s still true. And now the United States and Israel are still partners based on shared values and common strategies...

“We have made a lot of progress with the Declaration of Principles of the Palestinians, the peace of Aqaba with Jordan, the interim accord that was signed in Washington. I have watched in these very difficult months since Prime Minister Rabin’s assassination Prime Minister Peres rise to this moment. He has been a true and reliable friend of our country, and a true and reliable leader of his own. And I am proud to say, as Yitzhak Rabin said, he is our full partner for peace and security. This has been a trying time for those who believe that a secure peace is the only true hope for Israel and the Middle East. The Katyusha rockets, the bloodshed in Lebanon, the suicide bombings in Israel—we grieve for the innocent victims, and for the Israelis who simply wanted to live quiet lives in their own country, for the innocent Palestinians who were killed in the suicide bombings in Israel, for the children of our own nation—Sarah Dueker and Matthew Eisenfeld—visiting a land they loved; for the Lebanese children in Qana who were caught between—make no mistake about it—the deliberate tactics of Hezbollah in their positioning and firing— and the tragic misfiring in Israel’s legitimate exercise of its right to self-defense...

“If the Jewish people have endured centuries of exile, persecution, the ultimate evil of the Holocaust, flourishing against all the odds, surely—surely—together they can throw back their shoulders and raise their heads and say, after all this, Hezbollah and Hamas will not succeed...

“Even as the Katyushas were falling, we saw proof of peace taking hold. We saw it in the meeting between Prime Minister Peres and Chairman Arafat 10 days ago, when they vowed to move ahead on the goals set by the accords. We saw it in the prime minister’s path-breaking trips to Qatar and Oman this month. And I salute again the prime minister for the strength and commitment he has shown in pursuing the peace in this difficult period.

“And, of course, last Wednesday, on the 48th anniversary of Israeli independence, the Palestinian National Council finally did change the PLO Charter and deleted the hateful clause calling for the destruction of Israel. Now, think about that. That symbol of hatred had endured since 1964, before some people in this room were even born. It’s a moment we have long waited and worked for. The Palestinian leadership followed through on its commitments and made a better move to a better day. All friends of peace should be heartened by this, and especially by the large margin of the vote in support of Chairman Arafat’s policy.

“Even during the suicide bombings there was dramatic proof that peace is taking root. Remember, Prime Minister Peres said, at the Summit of the Peacemakers in Sharm el-Sheikh we had 29 leaders from around the globe, and 13 from the Arab world voting and committing themselves for the first time not only to condemn, but to work against terrorism in Israel. It was an historic moment. And we are following up on it...

“We know the circle of peace cannot be closed only by an end to the fighting in Lebanon. It can be closed only when the Arab-Israeli conflict is truly over; when normalization takes hold in the entire Arab world; when Israel’s security is completely assured; when Israel is fully accepted in every way in the region. The circle of peace will be closed only—and I say only—when the people of Israel are confident that what they are getting is worth the risks they must take. Peace and security are indivisible. And Israel must feel comfortable and confident about both in order to achieve either over the long run.

“Let me say to you what I hope you already know. The breakthroughs of the past were possible because we built together a bond of trust. And I pledge to you today that this relationship will remain strong and vital—so strong and so vital that no one will ever drive a wedge between us.

“Our commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable. It will stay that way because Israel must have the means to defend itself by itself. In a time of shrinking resources, we have maintained our economic assistance. We have sought to enhance Israel’s security, to lessen the risks it has taken and still takes every day for peace...

“When I was in Jerusalem last month, I placed a small symbol of the extraordinary bond of solidarity between the United States and Israel on the grave of my friend Prime Minister Rabin. It was a little stone from the South Lawn of the White House where the first accord with the Palestinians was signed. I put it there in keeping with the Jewish tradition that says one must always add to the memories of those who have died and never detract from them.

“Well, it falls to us to add more to the memories of all those who have given their lives for Israel’s security and for the hope of peace. And we must do this not only with stones, but in kind. We must build a peace as hard and real as any stone. And in so doing, we will add to the memory of every martyr and validate the sacrifice of every martyr, and give meaning and breath and life to the dreams of so many who have gone before.

“That is my vision to you and my pledge. And I say to you, and especially to you, I will do everything I can to help us achieve it together.”