A Message from Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Observance January 29, 1996

A MESSAGE FROM AMBASSADOR ITAMAR RABINOVICH AT THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. 
                           COMMEMORATIVE OBSERVANCE 
                     Embassy of Israel - January 29, 1996


Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader who introduced the metaphor of 
going up the mountain in a very powerful way into the public discourse of me 
20th century. It is not surprising that in the negotiations between Israel and 
Syria we, the negotiators, found ourselves relying on the very same metaphor 
when we first wanted to convey to each other that beyond the presence of 
conflict there may lie a more promising future. We both resorted to the notion 
of climbing to the top of the mountain and seeking the valleys of peace that 
lie beyond.

Inspiration to peacemakers is thus one of the manners in which Dr. King and 
his legacy continue to inspire us. Dr. King would have been the first to 
understand my absence from this ceremony due to my role in the Israeli-Syrian 
peace negotiations that are taking place not far from here right now.

In the past two years this award ceremony has been a high point of my tenure 
in Washington.  This year in particular I was anxious to attend a ceremony in 
which my friend Peter Edelman, and a great friend and ally in Congress, 
Congressman Kweisi Mfume, are honored. I know that they and all of you in 
attendance would understand my absence.

Let me therefore convey my personal congratulations and greetings to those two 
outstanding individuals and my tribute to the causes they have advanced and 
embodied. 

When the date of today's ceremony was set, none of us contemplated a 
possibility that the festivities of the day will be clouded by the unsavory 
controversy between the Ethiopian Jewish Community arid the government of 
Israel. In this context, I would like to emphasize that we are determined to 
make the best of a bad turn of events and go into the roots of their 
dissatisfaction and malaise. Also, we must not let these events overshadow the 
essence of what remains a wonderful story of salvation and reunification of 
part of the Jewish people with the State of Israel.

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