FBIS Coverage of the Middle East Peace Talks- 1978 September

PPROVED FOR RELEASE CIA HI ORICAL DIVISION AR 70-14 13N 2013
V. 26 Sep 78 N ELP.
Peres Knesset Speech
TA251326Y Jerusalem Domestic Television Service in Hebrew 0908 GMT 25 Sep 78 TA
[Labor Party Chairman MK Shim'on Peres speech to Knesset in response to prime minister's
address at opening of Knesset debate 'on the Camp David accords--live]
[Text] Knesset Chairman, honorable Knesset, yesterday, at the meeting of the Labor Party
center, a woman, not young and dressed in black, one of the greatest women in the history
of the redeemed Israel, a woman who lost her two sons, a pioneer .in all her ways, the
mother of sons, Rivqa Guber, took the podium. She approached the loudspeaker directly
and without a piece of paper in her hands. She said, among other things: Dear colleagues,
it is hard for me and I did not intend to speak since I have just completed the 7 days
of mourning following the death of my husband. I have the impression that you will
hear my words although I have nobody I can send, either to the Rafah approaches, nor
to Di-Zahav, I have nobody to send.... [interjection by MK Meir Kohen who says that
there are many bereaved people and Peres should not use this example,]
Stop for a minute. You do not know what I am saying, fool. I have nobody... [interjection]
I have no one to send since my sons were lost and they left no grandchildren. I had
nobody I could send but the surprising thing now is the wished-for peace. If we allow
this hour to be lost to us--this was what this great woman said--we will not be able to
justify ourselves. Peace requires risks just as war. She added: [We need this] in
order that the new year may be good, thata booth of peace may be built, that green may
prevail on both sides of the border, that we may live with our neighbors without fears
and that this.be not a dream. This is a great Zionist truth. We have hoped to realize
Zionism in peaceful conditions and not in war confrontations.
Peace, Knesset members, was lacking on the Arab side, not on the Jewish side. It is the
side that brought about the wars and had we not won them, albeit at a heavy price, the
Jewish side would not have existed. In the great historic argument held between
Professor Magnes and David Ben-Gurion, David Ben-Gurion told Magnes: The difference
between us is that you believe that peace will bring the creation of a state, while I
believe that the creation of a state will lead to peace. We have indeed established a
state strong enough to bring peace. This is the first time there are two sides for
peace. The State of Israel, the only Jewish state in the. world, and the Egyptian republic,
the biggest of the Arab countries. Mr -Chairman, I unhesitatingly congratulate the
Israeli Government and the Israeli prime minister on the difficult and awesome but also
vital decision they have made to march toward peace in return for a price that seemed
impossible for the present government, to free themselves from their commitments,
conventions and ideology and progress toward a new direction in the history of the
Middle East,
I want to say now why I have told you this. I did not make a demagogic use of Rivga's
words, It is you who should apologize. I want to express my full appreciation for
President as-Sadat who, supported by his people and in the face of a loud and threatening
refusal in the Arab world, came to Jerusalem, sought peace, proposed peace and found
compliance for peace.
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