Press Conference with President Chaim
Herzog of Israel
(November 10, 1987)
President Reagan. Mr. President, Mrs. Herzog, distinguished
guests, shalom [hello]. I am very pleased and honored to extend a warm
welcome to you, Mr. President, and to Mrs. Herzog on this historic occasion:
the first state visit ever by a President of the State of Israel to
the White House. Your visit is also a special event, because it takes
place during the 40th anniversary year of the independence of the State
of Israel. Americans are proud, indeed, that on May 15, 1948, the United
States was the first country to extend diplomatic recognition to the
State of Israel. Your visit emphasizes the close and special relationship
between our two countries.
Mr. President, modern Israel was born in the aftermath
of the tragedy of the holocaust and the calamity of the Second World
War. It was created to fulfill the longstanding dream of the Jewish
people to return to the home of their biblical origins. This dream came
true because of the courage and determination of the Jewish people,
both those already resident in Palestine and those who survived the
Nazi death camps in Europe. The hopes for freedom, for independence,
for an end to centuries of persecution were instilled in the State of
Israel.
Mr. President, Israel and the United States have been
partners for 40 years. We are brought together by a shared commitment
to democracy, to an open society, to individual achievement and economic
progress, and to dignity and worth of each and every individual. And
we stand together in the defense of these values against those who would
destroy them. Our strategic cooperation is proof of that.
Today these values are reflected in the search for
a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. We share the conviction
that Israel can be secure and realize its full promise and genius only
when security and lasting peace are achieved. The United States remains
undeterred in the quest for such a peace, a negotiated settlement of
the Arab-Israeli conflict that would assure the security and well-being
of the people of Israel and its Arab neighbors. That goal will be realized
when people of good will from all sides find a way to bridge a crevasse
of hatred and distrust. The United States is ready, as ever, to help
build that bridge.
We're encouraged by the progress that has been made
in this noble endeavor. It was 10 years ago this month that President
Sadat visited Jerusalem. Peace between Israel and Egypt created a new
reality, proving that reconciliation between former enemies is possible.
The past decade has shown the benefits of this peace to the peoples
of Egypt and Israel. We want to work with Israel and its other neighbors
to expand the horizon of peace and find a just solution for the Palestinian
people. We want to see an end to the scourge of international terrorism.
We want to see an end to the conflict in the Persian Gulf, and to the
war between Iran and Iraq.
Mr. President, we know that the people of Israel share
these desires with the people of the United States. Together we also
share a commitment to create better lives for all peoples of the world.
Israel has provided leadership in harnessing science and technology
to human needs, as is reflected in the great strides you've made in
agriculture and industry.
We're united by a common commitment to the universality
of human rights. This is why America has championed the cause of Soviet
Jews in their struggle for religious freedom and right, if they wish,
to emigrate. We have rejoiced with you in the release of Natan Scharanskiy,
Ida Nudel, Vladimir Slepak, and others. Yet we know that many others,
less well-known but equally entitled to enjoy these basic liberties,
remain behind, still constrained by the Soviet system. I pledge to you
that we will persevere in our efforts to persuade the Soviet Union to
meet its international obligations under the Helsinki accords not just
to Soviet Jews but to all the citizens of the Soviet Union.
Mr. President, we cannot meet on this day without noting
the special significance it has for the Jewish people. On November 10th,
1983, a half-century ago—1938, I should say, a half century ago,
the Nazis let loose a reign of terror against the German Jewry that
is remembered as the infamous "crystal night." And on November
10th, 1975, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed an obscene
resolution equating Zionism and racism. Both of these ugly actions share
a common denominator: anti-Semitism; but there is a major difference
between them. In 1938 the State of Israel did not yet exist. In 1975
a proud and resolute Israeli Ambassador rose up in the United Nations
to uphold the honor of Israel and the high principles on which the United
Nations is founded.
The Ambassador, of course, was you, sir, and it will
always be a source of pride for all Americans that on that day our own
Ambassador to the United Nations stood squarely at your side. That's
how it was, Mr. President, and that's how it will be. For the people
of Israel and America are historic partners in the global quest for
human dignity and freedom. We will always remain at each other's side.
Mr. President, it is a special honor and privilege
to welcome you to the White House.
President Herzog. Mr. President, as I stand here on
this momentous occasion, I can sense the movement of the wings of history.
I arrive here on the occasion of the 40th anniversary year of our establishment
as a free and independent state, an event which righted an historic
wrong to our people over the centuries.
Surely, Mr. President, at moments such as these, words
are inadequate in which to express the sense of gratitude which the
citizens of Israel feel towards this great country for its ongoing support
in our struggle.
Like the United States, our small country, too, acquired
its independence in bloody battle and gained its strength by providing
a haven for the poor, the downtrodden, and the homeless. Despite the
enormous differences in size and population, we are bound together in
a partnership of such profound significance, a partnership which transcends
the normal friendship existing between friendly nations. For ours is
an alliance born of an identity of purpose and the principles of democracy,
which are the cornerstones of our two societies.
I stand here and see the work of the hand of providence.
For this year, as you have mentioned, sir, marks the anniversary—49
years ago—of the Nazi onslaught on the Jewish people in Germany
in "kristallnacht," the "night of the crystals,"
in which synagogues throughout Germany were put to fire. The Holy Bible
and the scrolls of our Holy Torah, recording the five books of Moses,
bearing the message of civilization and humanity, were burned in bonfires,
ignited by barbarians outside the burning synagogues. The streets of
Germany were covered in a film of crystals, created by the broken glass
of Jewish synagogues, schools, homes, and stores, marking the headlong
rush of Europe toward the abyss which led to the darkest years of the
eclipse of civilization. In those nightmare years, one third of the
Jewish people were destroyed in the most terrifying holocaust ever seen
in the history of mankind.
I stood moments ago and received the honors accorded
me as the head of the State of Israel and thought of the day of infamy
at the United Nations 12 years ago today. I had the privilege then,
as you mentioned, sir, of defending my people against the scurrilous
and despicable attack on Zionism, which was mounted by a contemptible
coalition of totalitarian states not only against our small country
but against all that the Jewish people and their traditions stand for
in human dignity and experience.
As one recalls these events which occurred on this
very day, on this solemn and moving occasion marking the first State
visit from an Israeli head of state to the United States of America,
with all that it implies, the significance of the reemergence of Israel
must surely be in the forefront of our consciousness.
Mr. President, at this moment, as I stand here as the
President of a country born of the prayers of a nation over the centuries
and a 2,000-year-old struggle against adversity, and view this event
in its true perspective against the background of our long history,
I cannot but give expression to the age-old Jewish prayer: "Thanks
to the Almighty for having kept us alive and maintained us to reach
this time."
Mr. President, Israel has been devoted to the cause
of peace since we held out our hand to our Arab neighbors in our declaration
of independence, and has over the years exerted every effort to achieve
it. Under your inspired leadership and with the active support of your
administration, we continue these efforts to achieve the peace for which
we, and I believe all the peoples in the Middle East, yearn.
Ten years ago next week, we crossed a major watershed
with the historic arrival of President Sadat in Jerusalem and the enthusiastic
and warm welcome accorded him by the then Government of Israel, by the
Knesset, and by the people of Israel. That visit led, thanks to the
active involvement in subsequent negotiations of the President and the
administration of the United States, to the first peace treaty signed
by Israel with an Arab State—indeed, a leading State in the Arab
world. That treaty, which concluded the first phase of the peace-making
process in the Middle East, was signed here on this very site. Israel
is prepared, as you are well aware, Mr. President, to move forward with
your involvement to a further phase of this process.
I thank you, Mr. President, for your invitation and
your welcome. I come to you representing a friend and an ally. Our two
peoples are committed to the same principles and values which our Bible
gave to the world. We acknowledge and appreciate the generous support
of the American people extended to us in the mutual interest of our
two countries to ensure the advancement of the cause of peace and stability
in our area and, indeed, the peace of the world.
Your aid maintains the strength of a close ally which
is committed to the defense of the cause of freedom and democracy in
an area in which the longest war in this century is taking place, a
brutal, bloody war fired by the fanatic extremism of religious fundamentalism
which threatens the stability of so many countries in our area. A glance
at the map of our area and a realization of the implications of the
waves of fanaticism which are sweeping across it must surely give added
emphasis to the significance of your alliance with Israel, with all
that it implies.
Mr. President, on behalf of the people of Israel, I
salute you, the leader of the free world, and Mrs. Reagan, and I extend
to the people of the United States of America our prayers and profound
wishes for the welfare of this great people and this unique country.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Sources: Public Papers of the President |