MEETING BETWEEN PRIME MINISTER RABIN AND KING HUSSEIN
THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C. - JULY 25, 1994
REMARKS BY U.S. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
History is made when brave leaders find the power to escape the past and
create a new future. Today, two such leaders come together, as we welcome
King Hussein and Prime Minister Rabin to the White House on this
extraordinary occasion.
On this morning of promise, these visionary statesmen from ancient lands
have chosen to heal the rift that for too long has divided their peoples.
They have seen the outlines of a better day, where others have seen
darkness. They have sought peace, in place of violence. On both sides of
the River Jordan, there have lived generations of people who thought
this day would never done. King Hussein and Prime Minister Rabin have
reached out to each other across the river, to build a future where hatred
gives way to hope.
The Koran instructs us: 'Requite evil with good, and he who is your enemy
will become your dearest friend.' And the Talmud teaches: 'That man is a
hero that can make a friend out of a foe.' Before us today stand friends
and heroes. King Hussein, Prime Minister Rabin all Americans welcome
your presence here today. You give us great hope that this house, our
people's house, will be a constant witness to a lasting peace that spreads
forth to embrace your region.
REMARKS BY KING HUSSEIN OF JORDAN
Mr. President, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, ladies and gentlemen,
Out of all the days of my life, I do not believe that there is one such as
this in terms of the feelings, the emotions relating to a long, long
struggle; the memory of those who passed away; the memories of the victims
of war; feelings towards the present and the future; feelings of
responsibilities towards generations to come, in Israel and Jordan,
through all the Arab world and our entire region.
For many, many years, and with every prayer, I have asked God, the
Almighty, to help me be a part of forging peace between the children of
Abraham, as Moslems, for the word 'Islam' means submitting to the one God.
This is a dream that goes before me my late grandfather and now I. And
to feel that we are close to fulfilling that dream and presenting future
generations in our region with a legacy of hope and openness, where
normality is that which replaces the abnormal in our lives, which
unfortunately over the years has become normal. Where neighbors meet,
where people meet, where human relations thrive, where all seek a better
future and a better tomorrow.
This day is a day of commitment, and this day is a day of hope and vision.
And I must admit, Prime Minister, and for myself, that we owe President
Clinton and our American friends much in having made this possible. You
are our partners as we seek to construct and build a new future in our
region. For all of you, and for all mankind, thank you very much indeed
for the concern, kindness and warmth of your reception. We are proud to be
here with you today.
REMARKS BY ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN
President of the United States, King Hussein of Jordan,
They say that the ancient custom of shaking hands developed out of the
need to prove that neither person was holding a weapon. The first public
handshake between His Majesty the King of Jordan and myself, a minute ago,
symbolizes much more than the two people will no longer take up arms
against one another.
Honorable Mr. President, Your Majesty the King,
What is actually transpiring here? Hundreds of millions of people around
the world shake hands many times each day. It is perhaps the most routine
action done almost automatically, without thinking. And it is actually a
greeting of peace that unites almost all of the peoples of the world.
Here, the handshake and the excitement, the many photographers, the live
broadcast of television to all corners of the globe I share this
excitement, and know that at this moment, in Jerusalem and Amman, perhaps
all over the Middle East, a new era is dawning.
What I do wish you, Your Majesty? That there will be another day of
excitement and another, and that finally on one will photograph our
handshakes. It will have become part of the routine of our lives, a
custom among all people, the behavior of every human being.
And meanwhile, Your Majesty, the entire State of Israel is shaking your
hand.