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7336076
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Exchange of Toasts between the President and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
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7336076
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document
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Exchange of Toasts between the President and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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Israel
Dinners and dining
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7336076
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1974-09-12
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1974
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Digitized from Box 2 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 12, 1974
OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
EXCHANGE OF TOASTS
BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT
AND
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN
STATE DINING ROOM
9:58 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Prime Minister, Mrs. Rabin,
and honored guests, it is a pleasure for Mrs. Ford and
myself to be host to you on this occasion and to warmly
welcome you back to the United States in this capacity
as the Prime Minister of your great country.
But I would also like to extend our warm
welcome for all of your friends who are here and the many,
many friends throughout the whole United States who are
also good and firm friends of the two of you, and to
extend to you, representing your country, the depth
and the warmth of the feeling that we in the United
States have for Israel.
As I was sitting here chatting with you and
talking with Mrs. Rabin, I couldn't help but note that
1948 was a somewhat significant year as far as your
country is concerned, and it just happened that it was
quite a year as far as the Fords were concerned. It
was the year that we were married.
MRS. RABIN: And the Rabins.
(Laughter)
THE PRESIDENT: And the year that I got elected
to Congress but, more importantly, certainly, the year
that Israel gained its independence.
And I am pleased to note that our country was
the first of all countries in the world at that time to
recognize Israel, and we were proud to do it then and
we are proud that it was done by America at that time.
It is especially nice to have the opportunity of
meeting with you yesterday and today and tonight and
tomorrow, a person who is a soldier, a diplomat, and a
political leader, and to know that you represent your
country so effectively and so well.
MORE
Page 2
The American people have a great deal of
understanding and sympathy and dedication to the same
kind of ideals that are representative of Israel. And,
therefore, I think we in America have a certain rapport
and understanding with the people of Israel.
We, as two nations who believe in peace, have
sought by joint action in conjunction with others a
durable and stable peace in the Middle East which I think
all of us agree is in the best interest of your country,
and the Middle East, and the world as a whole.
We, as a country, are proud to be associated
with Israel in this mutual effort to move and to continue
to move in the direction of an even better, more stable
and more equitable peace in the Middle East.
I can't tell you how pleased that we are to
have the opporunity of expressing our gratitude for all
of the things that our countries have done together
and all of the things that I hope that our two countries
can continue to do in the future.
We have mutual aims and objectives. We have
a friendship that is durable and growing. We have the
kind of relationship that I think, if expanded world-
wide, would be beneficial to all mankind.
And so if I may, Mr. Prime Minister, I would
like to ask all of our guests here tonight to stand and
to offer a toast to your President, and to you and
Mrs. Rabin.
MORE
- 3 -
PRIME MINISTER RABIN: Mr. President, Mrs.
Ford, distinguished guests, in the name of my wife, and
myself, I would like to thank you very much for inviting
us and taking care of us during our visit here.
I remember, Mr. President, meeting you while you
were the Minority leader in the House. I had many talks
with you. I learned very much to admire you and I know that
by assuming the responsibilities of the President of the
United States, you have taken upon yourself tremendous, a
tremendous role, not only for this country. But I believe
that the President of the United States is the leader of
the free world and has to bear in mind, if you would
allow me to say so, not only the well-being of this
country but the well-being of all countries that strive
for freedom, for democracy, because in the world that
we live today, it is not always possible to a small
country to do it against odds.
The relationship between the United States and
Israel started many years ago when our country was reborn.
We faced many problems. The first one was the absorption
of many newcomers, immigrants, the remnants of the holo-
caust of Europe, the second World War, the refugees that
came from the Arab countries. I believe that we were a
country that half of its population were refugees.
And then the United States offered Israel
economic aid, technical aid, that made it possible
for us to absorb these people, our brothers, in a way
that the transformation from refugees to be part of
our creative society was very much facilitated by your
help.
During the years other problems appeared. The
threat from outside became more apparent and the United
States added also military aid in terms of supplying us
arms to be able to defend ourselves by ourselves.
I think that 26 years from 1948 have proved that
your support to us was used in the best way for the
well-being of our people and for preservation of a
democracy and the free country in that part of the
world.
And I would like to thank you and to thank
everybody in this country that has made it possible
until today.
MORE
Page 4
I don't know, Mr. President, if you have
seen it. I have given a small present to you. It is
a sculpture, a sculpture that describes the struggle
between David and Goliath. I believe it is not only
a story from the Bible, it is a story that started
then and continues until the present days.
And if there is something that symbolizes
Israel today, it is the spirit of David facing Goliath.
And the meaning of the spirit is, on the one hand, to
seek peace, to believe in peace. We are a Jewish state
and we believe that part of being a Jew means to seek
peace, to search peace.
But on the other hand, to realize that peace
is obtainable only for those who are ready to take
risks to death to withstand Goliaths.
I believe that this is what is significant
to Israel today, the spirit of David seeking peace
and at the same time being ready and capable to meet
some Goliaths.
I hope and I believe, Mr. President, that
under your leadership the relations between our
two countries will continue, will be strengthened in
the unique spirit that was so significant until today,
the search of peace and the understanding that strength
helps to achieve peace.
Allow me, Mr. President, to raise my glass
to the President of the United States.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.
END
(AT 10:11 P.M.
EDT)