From Spain Prime Minister Rabin proceeded to Portugal, where once again, he was the first Israeli premier to pay an official visit to that country. The visit was in response to an invitation by the prime minister of Portugal who visited Israel in 1992. Mr. Rabin, speaking at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Professor Anibal Cavaco Silva, recalled the historic links between Portugal and the Jewish people and expressed his gratitude for the warm and friendly welcome given to him. Text:
Mr. Prime Minister,
Mrs. Cavaco Silva,
Minister of the Portuguese Government,
Esteemed hosts,
Mrs. Rabin and I are grateful for your kind invitation to visit your beautiful country. Indeed, I am very much honored to be the first Prime Minister of Israel to visit your country, just as I was honored, in 1992, to receive the first visit of a Prime Minister of Portugal to the State of Israel.
This visit is of special significance as the history of the Jewish people is intrinsically linked with Portugal and the entire Iberian peninsula.
During the centuries in which the Jewish community flourished in Portugal, your country proved fertile soil for the flowering of Jewish philosophy, literature and poetry.
Although pages of light were later supplemented by pages of darkness, the spirit of the "Golden Age" of Iberian Jewry remained with our people, shaping our culture throughout the centuries and the Jewish people contributed greatly to Portugal's rich heritage.
Both our nations can take pride in the contributions made by Portuguese Jews and their descendants. The vision of Samuel Gacon - who printed the first book in the Iberian peninsula - made learning accessible where ignorance had reigned. The courage and philanthropy of Beatriz Luna, affectionately known in Hebrew as Dona Gracia Nasi, left their imprint on Europe and the Ottoman Empire. Centuries before the Zionist movement was established, she was intent on reviving the Jewish presence in the Holy Land and personally settled there. The revolutionary genius of Spinoza forever changed the way of Western thought. As the Jews of Portugal scattered to the New World, North Africa, and the Ottoman empire, they carried the richness of both their heritages.
Indeed, while there has been much which divided our nations in the past, there is also much in our past which binds us. We have a common heritage and must build upon it strengthen and deepen the ties between our two countries. And so, from the bottom of my heart, I wish you and the people of Portugal, much success in the future.
I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and our dear friends, and the Government of Portugal and its people, for the warm and friendly welcome.
I raise my glass to your health, your Excellency Professor Cavaco Silva and to Mrs. Silva, to the Government of Portugal, to all of you who have honored me here tonight, and to the Portuguese nation.