Mr. Speaker,

Distinguished Knesset,

Allow me, Mr. Speaker, Reuven Rivlin, to congratulate you on your elections as Speaker of the Knesset. As I am not a member of Knesset, I could not join the 90 Knesset members who voted for you, but there is no doubt that it was a respectable and dignified demonstration of support by the Knesset and all its parties for your election once again to the role of Speaker of the Knesset. I am certain you will join me in my words of congratulation for the outgoing Speaker, Ms. Dalia Itzik, who filled the position in a manner which inspired gratitude, honor and affection both in the Knesset and for her personally by all those who come here every week, and I believe also by the people of Israel. Thank you, Ms. Dalia Itzik, for the honorable and appropriate manner in which you served as Speaker of the Knesset, and to you Mr. Speaker I say: you are already acting like it is business as usual, and rightly so as this is your second term. Once again, you have been elected Speaker of the Knesset. To the best of my recollection, last time it was harder for you to be elected, both in your party and in the Knesset, which only proves that the first experience with you certainly aroused a desire to see you sit at this high podium again among the members of Knesset – certainly among the more senior members, but also perhaps the newer ones. May you rule the Knesset with an iron first, and lead the Knesset in a manner that will inspire great respect from “all its shepherds and all its listeners”. Good luck to you.

Mr. Speaker of the Knesset,

Prime Minister Designate, Benjamin Netanyahu,

Ministers,

Members of Knesset,

Honorable Ambassadors from Egypt and the Kingdom of Jordan in Israel,

Representatives of the United States Administration,

Distinguished Guests,

Thirty years ago, on the White House lawn, history was made. The prime minister of Israel, Menachem Begin and the president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, signed a peace accord, and the president of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter, added his signature as a witness and “best man”. Begin appealed to Sadat, his partner to the signing, during his speech, in words that are fittingly said about Begin himself and ring in the ears of all prime ministers of Israel:

“By standing against hatred and animosity, you have proven the existence of the human value capable of changing history: civilian courage. A great military commander once said: ‘Sometimes it is harder to prove civilian courage than military valor.’ You have proven both. However, now is the time, for all of us, to demonstrate civilian courage in order to announce to our peoples and to others: no more war! No more bloodshed! No more bereavement! Shalom! Salaam! Forever.”

It was spring in Israel, and the country was dressed in its finest clothes on the day the peace accords were signed. However, let us admit the truth: nothing will resemble or compare to the feeling of elation which enveloped the citizens of Israel one and one half years earlier, when Anwar Sadat got off the plane at Ben-Gurion Airport, and when he stood at this podium here in the Knesset in Jerusalem. Then we really “were as dreamers.” There is no more exact expression to describe the feeling.

However this feeling of elation was not felt by everyone. The public atmosphere after the Yom Kippur War was not simple; emotions were heightened, thousands of soldiers had been killed. Prime Minister Begin began his tenure with completely opposite expectations than those he actually realized later on, when he bravely marched towards peace.

There were many arguments as to why peace with Egypt was not wise: they said the price was too high and too painful; they claimed that Egypt was a dangerous enemy which would not stand by its word; commentators and experts predicted that Israel would lose its security in the South, and its strategic depth. It is difficult to forget the statement made by Moshe Dayan, Begin’s partner, who before beginning the peace process with Egypt said: “Better Sharm al-Sheikh without peace than peace without Sharm al-Sheikh”. Even I, as a young member of Knesset, believed these arguments. Even I, 30 years ago, thought that one should not agree to the signing of a peace agreement with Egypt, under the circumstances which existed at the time.

Begin made the decision. He decided courageously. I do not know what went on in his head at the time; I did not speak with him before he made the decision. I can only speculate, as one who has sat in the demanding chair of prime minister, that Menachem Begin knew in his heart of hearts, even if he did not expose it before anyone, even if he did not say so to his confidantes – that there is only one way to make peace: to give up all the territory of the Sinai, including Sharm al-Sheikh.

I believe that when Begin sent Moshe Dayan to the meeting with President Sadat’s adviser, he had already made his decision. This was the formative moment. This was the moment in which history was made. On the other hand, it could also have been the moment in which the decision was made to continue walking in place and missing the opportunity.

Menachem Begin was characterized by clear and concise decisiveness, which could not be mistaken. This is the only way to explain brave decisions regarding security, decisions which led to a list of actions that captured the imagination, defended the people of Israel and removed existing threats.

Today, as I conclude my tenure, it is clear to me that the most important trait needed by a prime minister, any prime minister, is the ability to make a decision. A prime minister of the State of Israel needs something else – the courage to make difficult decisions, the daring to decide, even under uncertain conditions.

Members of Knesset,

The peace accord with Egypt is one of the State of Israel’s most important strategic achievements. Signing the peace accord shattered all at once the prejudice that held sway among many of Israeli’s finest citizens – and maybe even most of them – that peace between Israel and the Arabs was not possible in our generation and may even be a vision for the end of days. This peace became a solid fact then, and remains so today. Instead of a hostile border alert for the renewal of acts of terror, there is a long, peaceful border between our countries, and diplomatic relations and intense political ties between our governments. Many Israeli citizens have visited the monumental sites of the land of the Nile, and air travel and land-based transportation lines are open. However, most importantly: the promise, “No more war, no more bloodshed,” is upheld.

There have been many tests of the peace between the State of Israel and Egypt, the leader of the Arab world – and that peace remains strong: the murder of Sadat, blessed be his memory; the First Lebanon War, during which the IDF conquered an Arab capital; the pan-Arabic protest and boycott of Egypt; the Intifada; the wave of fundamentalist terror in the region originating in Tehran; and many more. We also experienced times of tension, of fears, of disagreements. However, the peace and our shared interest in it overcame everything.

Israel-Egypt relations are strategic ones. Were it not for the peace with Egypt, we would not have reached a peace agreement with Jordan, and the gates for negotiations towards an agreement with the Palestinians and the Syrians would not have opened. The taboo against peace with the State of Israel was broken, and the practical expression of this today is the decision of the Arab League based on the Saudi peace plan.

The cooperation and the shared interests between Israel and Egypt are expressed through countless diplomatic contacts, personal conversations and many meetings at the work level, at a ministerial level and at the highest level, which are conducted in a very good and friendly spirit.

Crises were solved and differences were settled in an appropriate manner. Egypt, under the brave leadership of its president, Hosni Mubarak, plays a central role in leading the bloc of moderate Arab countries which object to terror and serve as a dam for Iran’s dangerous ambitions of regional hegemony. Egypt’s active role in the efforts to forge a ceasefire during Operation Cast Lead were also every effective. Its mediation in the great effort made by the Government of Israel to free its soldier, Gilad Shalit, continues to be essential for success which – I have no doubt – will come, even if it is taking longer.

Today, after 30 years, we view the results of Menachem Begin’s brave decision to sign the peace accord with Egypt.

Today, after a generation, we can understand the historic significance of the decision made by a leader who was courageous enough to make a decision.

This is how we should view Yitzhak Rabin’s decision to sign the Oslo Accord, and later the peace agreement with Jordan. The decision to move forward with the Oslo process was not an easy one, I am certain, and I also objected to it. Even if it involved quite a few problems, it still constitutes a example of a leader’s courage.

And thus, with the same measure of courage, can we view the decision of my predecessor, Ariel Sharon, when he decided to separate from the Gaza Strip and implement the Disengagement Plan in complete contrast to his political-diplomatic path for many years previously.

It has been said many times, also by Sharon, that “What one sees from here is not seen from there”. This is not the whole truth. When one sits here, in the place where Benjamin Netanyahu will be sitting tomorrow, responsibility outweighs considerations of comfort. When you are there, the considerations can be different; when you are here, in the special place where the prime minister sits, the national responsibility outweighs any other consideration. That is the test. That is the decisive moment. This is what distinguishes a politician from a great statesman.

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Knesset,

Since this is one of the last events I will participate in at the Knesset, I would like to address my concluding words to he who will very soon inherit my job, Prime Minister Designate Benjamin Netanyahu.

You, Mr. Netanyahu, are assuming a great responsibility, and the great privilege of leading the State of Israel at a fateful and decisive time. I remind you the things I quoted from Menachem Begin’s speech at the signing of the peace accords about the civilian courage needed to change history. That same Menachem Begin, who resigned from the unity government led by Golda Meir over her agreement to the Rogers Initiative, and who declared upon his resignation that he would relocate his home to Neot Sinai, is the person who gave up the territory of the Sinai for peace. That is the civilian courage of a great leader.

You are a politician of great experience. You have achieved much and have also suffered hurts. I have no doubt that you are entering the position of prime minister equipped with a much broader perspective than you had in the past. I also have no doubt about something else – during your tenure, you will need to deal with a reality that did not exist before, a complex reality, perhaps more difficult that we have ever known.

I do not seek to argue or dispute you. I do not intend to conduct an argument about future policies. We have differences of opinion; we never hid them. We met more than once to speak of them honestly and openly. With regard to one thing we have no disagreement – you will do all that is necessary in accordance with your beliefs in order to strengthen the people and State of Israel and in order to bring us all to our dream of peace.

I wholeheartedly believe that the State of Israel must continue striving for peace with its neighbors. Today I can say that which I have not expressed enough over the past 30 years: there can be no Jewish state without a solid and secure Jewish majority for generations, and there is no secure or expected Jewish majority in Greater Israel, populated by millions of Palestinians who yearn for their own country, or who would be willing to accept one state for all its residents, Jews and Palestinians.

The conclusion is clear: two states for two peoples. There is no alternative. There can be no outwitting this. The decision whether or not Zionism will continue to be realized and win in the State of Israel, or – G-d forbid – we lose our identity and our essence with the loss of a Jewish majority, is in our souls. It cannot be escaped.

The vision of two states is accepted by the United States, the European Union, the Arab states, the Palestinian Authority and the entire international community – except for the enemies of peace and terrorist organizations. The future of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic country – and there is no Jewish state without democracy – is dependent on realizing this vision.

As a people, we cannot miss the historic opportunity to realize the vision of two states for two peoples with massive international support. It is possible. A large part of the path has already been taken. With the Palestinians, Vice Prime Minister Tzipi Livni and I have reached the threshold of the decision, despite the fact that gaps still exist, which in my opinion can be bridged and resolved. The intensive diplomatic process was the result of our initiative, based on an existential national interest, and not the result of external pressure or surrender to dictates. If we had been given the time, I believe we could have presented an agreed upon accord for the approval of the Government and the Knesset. The decision was not an easy one, nor a simple one. It is a dramatic, painful and heartrending compromise, but a necessary one.

This is true with regard to the Palestinians and it is true with regard to the Syrians as well. This is what I believe and thus I have acted to conduct an indirect dialogue with Syria. Even previous prime ministers understood this and acted in this channel. You yourself acted towards this end, and you deserve congratulations for this and not condemnation. However, in order to achieve peace that will bring about the strategic geo-political changes with Syria, it will be necessary to accept painful, heartbreaking concessions here as well. This is the choice we will have to make. This is the choice you, more than anyone else, will have to make.

It is known that we stood at the threshold of direct negotiations with Syria. You have been privy to all the details and the facts are before you. Take the initiative with courage; do not flinch and history will remember you positively.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you and your Government success. Your success is our success – the success of the State of Israel as a whole.

Thank you.

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