Former President Thabo Mbeki says the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin robbed the people of the two countries of a permanent solution to the crisis.
Mbeki said Arafat and Rabin had committed themselves to a peace process in the Middle East, but their deaths appeared to have halted any hope of a peaceful solution following the 1993 agreement.
Arafat died in Ramallah in November 2004 and Rabin was assassinated in November 1995 in his home country by a man who was opposed to the Oslo Accords.
Arafat and Rabin had worked closely after the signing of the accords to bring an end to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
Mbeki said he had felt how crucial their role was in the peace deal was when the two men died.
“When Yitzhak Rabin was buried in Jerusalem, I led a small South African delegation to the funeral,” Mbeki said.
It seemed to us that whatever the circumstances, by our mere presence we had to make a statement against the terrorism that took Prime Minister Rabin’s life, we had to underline our support for the courageous decision Rabin had taken to negotiate an honourable peace with Arafat, on the basis of 1993 Oslo Declaration of Principles.“
He said they could feel a sense of loss among Israelis after Rabin was buried.
The loss was about how close Rabin was to putting the issue of Israel and Palestine to bed with the peace agreement with Arafat.
Mbeki said Arafat had described the peace process with Rabin as the peace of the brave.
“Like his partner Yitzhak Rabon, Yasser Arafat understood and accepted that whatever might have happened in the past, Israel and Palestine had no choice but to construct a relationship that would amaze the world,” Mbeki said.
“This would be a relationship that would amaze the world because it would be based on the fundamental principles of peace, friendship, respect, solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation between Palestine and Israel,” he said.
“To arrive at this outcome, Israelis, Palestinians and all of us in the rest of humanity require the peace of the brave that Arafat spoke about. Time will tell whether the Palestinian and Israeli leaders have the courage it will take to make peace rather than to make war.”
He said Arafat had shown courageous leadership with the peace process.
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