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Lisa wrote this post on the 10th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's assasination.
I remember (if tears are a theme this week) bawling when I watched the funeral. Not just for peace, but for the man who had lost his life - a man who was no 'bleeding heart' and no firey demagogue, but a man who pragmatically wanted to end an unsustainable situation of violence and loss.
I had been back in Canada for a few months (after 2.5 years in Jerusalem) and I realised how rare it is to have a politician like Rabin.
In an era of controlled soundbytes and sticking the the message, Rabin was always so straightforward and real. Whatever you felt about his policies, you can't compare his tone: With the Slick Willies and Bibi's and now Dubyas that have held geopolitcal power since, Rabin was a "saabra" - he stood out because never adorned or obfuscated with language.
From his address in the Rose Garden preceding the Oslo accord:
"Let me say to you, the Palestinians: We are destined to live together, on the same soil in the same land. We, the soldiers who have returned from battle stained with blood, we who have seen our relatives and friends killed before our eyes, we who have attended their funerals and cannot look into the eyes of their parents, we who have come from a land where parents bury their children, we who have fought against you, the Palestinians - we say to you today in a loud and clear voice: Enough of blood and tears. Enough."
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11.4.2005
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