Nixon Toasts Prime Minister Golda Meir
(September 25, 1969)
Madam Prime Minister and our very distinguished guests
this evening:
As I look around this room, I see several Members
of the Senate and the House who have been here before during this administration's
dinners in this State Dining Room, and who have seen the heads of state
and heads of government who have been here.
All of them were very distinguished leaders of their
countries but, as you know, this is the first time that in this administration
we have had the honor to receive the head of government of another state
who also is a woman.
Now that, naturally, should give a great deal of opportunity
for a President of the United States, in welcoming the Prime Minister,
to remark about her unusual capabilities, not only in her official capacity
but as a woman. And I can only say this, that I am reminded of the fact
that David Ben-Gurion [Israel's first Prime Minister], in referring
to our very distinguished guest this evening, referred to her as the
best man in his Cabinet.
I also recall the old Jewish proverb to the effect
that man was made out of the soft earth and woman was made out of a
hard rib.
Now, I do not mean by these references to indicate
that the Prime Minister whom we honor tonight, is one who does not have
those very remarkable and unique qualities that we admire in the women
of her country and the women of our own country, and the women of the
world. But what I would like to say very simply is this: that throughout
the history of her people, a history that we know very well in this
country, a history that we heard even the Marine Band and our Strolling
Strings attempt to represent by music very briefly a few moments ago,
we know that very capable women and strong women have played a remarkable
and important part in that history.
In Biblical terms, we remember Deborah, 3,000 years
ago. The Bible tells us very little about Deborah, except that she loved
her people and served them well. Then, if I may paraphrase, it concludes
with this one thought: that there was peace in the land for 40 years.
Madam Prime Minister, as we welcome you here at this
dinner, and as we meet with you today and tomorrow on the occasion of
this visit, what is really deepest in our hearts is the hope that history
will record that after your service as Prime Minister there was peace
in the land for 40 years and longer.
When we think back on your people, a war every 10 years;
when we think back on your people going back through the century, how
they have suffered, we know how much the word "peace" means.
We can say to you that while it is fashionable in the
great councils of the world to talk rather casually about peace, and
while it is, of course, expected that at events like this we use that
term almost in an offhand way, that we feel it very deeply here. We
feel it because the people of Israel deserve peace. They have earned
peace, not the fragile peace that comes with the kind of a document
that neither party has an interest in keeping, but the kind of peace
that will last, one that will last for 40 years or even longer.
I say that for another reason, too. I have had the
privilege and I know that many of our friends around this room have
had the privilege of .seeing what the people of this very small country
have done in Israel, and it is a remarkable story.
With this immense military burden, with this tremendous
budget that they have to bear in that respect, how they have made that
land bloom, how they have made it productive. But also I have seen what
the people of this country have done in other lands, in Africa, in Asia,
in Latin America. People have gone from the State of Israel to these
other lands in their own programs of assistance and advice and this
kind of genius, this kind of ability, is very rare in the world. It
is desperately needed in the world. It is desperately needed for the
works of peace.
And for these and for so many other reasons, we simply
want to say that we are very honored to have the Prime Minister, the
Foreign Minister, and others in this distinguished party here in this
room tonight. We are honored to pay tribute to a very brave and courageous
people. We hope that as a result of our meeting that we will have taken
a significant step forward toward that peace which can mean so much
to the people of Israel, to the people of all the Mideast, and also
to the people of the world.
Now I would like to ask you, in affirming that sentiment,
to rise and raise your glasses with me to the Prime Minister.
Sources: Public Papers of the President |