1994Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin

Yasser Arafat’s Nobel Lecture not available

Yasser Arafat – Biography*

Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat As Qudwa al-Hussaeini was born on 24 August 1929 in Cairo, his father a textile merchant who was a Palestinian with some Egyptian ancestry, his mother from an old Palestinian family in Jerusalem. She died when Yasir, as he was called, was five years old, and he was sent to live with his maternal uncle in Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, then under British rule, which the Palestinians were opposing. He has revealed little about his childhood, but one of his earliest memories is of British soldiers breaking into his uncle's house after midnight, beating members of the family and smashing furniture.

After four years in Jerusalem, his father brought him back to Cairo, where an older sister took care of him and his siblings. Arafat never mentions his father, who was not close to his children. Arafat did not attend his father's funeral in 1952.

In Cairo, before he was seventeen Arafat was smuggling arms to Palestine to be used against the British and the Jews. At nineteen, during the war between the Jews and the Arab states, Arafat left his studies at the University of Faud I (later Cairo University) to fight against the Jews in the Gaza area. The defeat of the Arabs and the establishment of the state of Israel left him in such despair that he applied for a visa to study at the University of Texas. Recovering his spirits and retaining his dream of an independent Palestinian homeland, he returned to Faud University to major in engineering but spent most of his time as leader of the Palestinian students.

He did manage to get his degree in 1956, worked briefly in Egypt, then resettled in Kuwait, first being employed in the department of public works, next successfully running his own contracting firm. He spent all his spare time in political activities, to which he contributed most of the profits. In 1958 he and his friends founded Al-Fatah, an underground network of secret cells, which in 1959 began to publish a magazine advocating armed struggle against Israel. At the end of 1964 Arafat left Kuwait to become a full-time revolutionary, organising Fatah raids into Israel from Jordan.

It was also in 1964 that the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was established, under the sponsorship of the Arab League, bringing together a number of groups all working to free Palestine for the Palestinians. The Arab states favoured a more conciliatory policy than Fatah's, but after their defeat by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, Fatah emerged from the underground as the most powerful and best organised of the groups making up the PLO, took over that organisation in 1969 when Arafat became the chairman of the PLO executive committee. The PLO was no longer to be something of a puppet organisation of the Arab states, wanting to keep the Palestinians quiet, but an independent nationalist organisation, based in Jordan.

Arafat developed the PLO into a state within the state of Jordan with its own military forces. King Hussein of Jordan, disturbed by its guerrilla attacks on Israel and other violent methods, eventually expelled the PLO from his country. Arafat sought to build a similar organisation in Lebanon, but this time was driven out by an Israeli military invasion. He kept the organization alive, however, by moving its headquarters to Tunis. He was a survivor himself, escaping death in an airplane crash, surviving any assassination attempts by Israeli intelligence agencies, and recovering from a serious stroke.

His life was one of constant travel, moving from country to country to promote the Palestinian cause, always keeping his movements secret, as he did any details about his private life. Even his marriage to Suha Tawil, a Palestinian half his age, was kept secret for some fifteen months. She had already begun significant humanitarian activities at home, especially for disabled children, but the prominent part she took in the public events in Oslo was a surprise for many Arafat-watchers. Since then, their daughter, Zahwa, named after Arafat's mother, has been born.

The period after the expulsion from Lebanon was a low time for Arafat and the PLO. Then the intifada (shaking) protest movement strengthened Arafat by directing world attention to the difficult plight of the Palestinians. In 1988 came a change of policy. In a speech at a special United Nations session held in Geneva, Switzerland, Arafat declared that the PLO renounced terrorism and supported "the right of all parties concerned in the Middle East conflict to live in peace and security, including the state of Palestine, Israel and other neighbours".

The prospects for a peace agreement with Israel now brightened. After a setback when the PLO supported Iraq in the Persian Gulf War of 1991, the peace process began in earnest, leading to the Oslo Accords of 1993.

This agreement included provision for the Palestinian elections which took place in early 1996, and Arafat was elected President of the Palestine Authority. Like other Arab regimes in the area, however, Arafat's governing style tended to be more dictatorial than democratic. When the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in Israel in 1996, the peace process slowed down considerably. Much depends upon the nature of the new Israeli government, which will result from the elections to be held in 1999.

  • Since there is no biographical description of Yasser Arafat in Les Prix Nobel for 1994, this account was written by the editor.

Shimon Peres’ Nobel Lecture not available

Shimon Peres – Biography

Shimon Peres (Labour), Minister of Foreign Affairs, was born in Poland in 1923 and immigrated with his family as a child. He studied at the Ben Shemen Agricultural School, and was one of the founders of Kibbutz Alumot in the Jordan Valley. In 1943, he was elected secretary of the Hano'ar Ha'oved youth.
In Israel's War of Independence, Mr. Peres was responsible for arms purchases and recruitment, and in 1948 was appointed head of the naval services. In 1949, he headed the Defense Ministry's procurement delegation to the United States.
Mr. Peres was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Defense in 1952 and served as its Director-General between 1953-1959.
Mr. Peres has been a Member of the Knesset since 1959 and served as Deputy Minister of Defense from 1959-1965. In 1965, he left the Mapai Labour Party with Ben-Gurion and became Secretary-General of Rafi. In 1968, he was instrumental in bringing Rafi back to Mapai to form the Israel Labour Party.
Mr. Peres became Minister of Immigrant Absorption in 1969 and served as Minister of Transport and Communications from 1970-1974. In 1974 he was appointed Minister of Information and later, Minister of Defense (1974-1977). The highlight of his tenure as Defense Minister was the Entebbe rescue operation.
In 1977, Mr. Peres was elected chairman of the Labour Alignment. In 1984, a National Unity Government was formed, and he served first as its Prime Minister (1984-1986), and then as Vice Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1986-1988). During his term as Prime Minister, Israel withdrew from Lebanon and an economic stabilization plan was implemented.
In 1978, Mr. Peres was elected Vice-President of the Socialist International.
In the National Unity government (1988-1990), Shimon Peres served as Vice Premier and Minister of Finance. From 1990-1992, he led the opposition in the Knesset.
Mr. Peres began his second tenure as Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs on July 13, 1992 with the establishment of the new, Labour-led government.
Shimon Peres has authoured the following books: The Next Step (1965); David's Sling (1970); And Now Tomorrow (1978); From These Men (1979):;Entebbe Diary (1991); The New Middle East (1993); Battling for Peace (1995). He has written hundreds of articles and essays.
Shimon Peres is married to Sonya (nee Gelman); they have two sons and a daughter - and six grandchildren.

From Les Prix Nobel 1994.

Yitzhak Rabin’s Nobel lecture done by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik

Your Majesties,
Mrs. Leah Rabin,
President Clinton,
President Ahtisaari,
Prime Minister Barak,
Prime Minister Putin,
President Arafat,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,

“We say to you today in a loud and clear voice: Enough of blood and tears. Enough. We have no desire for revenge. We harbour no hatred towards you. We - like you - are people who want to build a home, to plant a tree, to love, to live side by side with you in dignity, in empathy, as human beings, as free men. We are today giving peace a chance, and saying again to you: Enough.”

These are the words of Yitzhak Rabin. They were spoken on the lawn of the White House on 13 September 1993, at the time of the signing of the Declaration of Principles. A moment before, he had stated, “Let me say to you, the Palestinians: We are destined to live together on the same soil, in the same land”. And Rabin, who knew more about war than most, added, “Let us pray that a day will come when we will all say: Farewell to arms”.

Two years later Yitzhak Rabin - this man of extraordinary vision and courage - was struck down by an assassin´s bullet.

The bullet took his life, deprived his family of a beloved husband and father, and bereaved Israel of one of its great sons. But it did not reach the other target at which it was aimed. The peace process lives on.

Today we have come together here in Oslo City Hall to honour Yitzhak Rabin and what he stood for – peace, justice and reconciliation. And it was here that Yitzhak Rabin, together with President Yasser Arafat and Minister Shimon Peres, both of whom we are honoured to have among us today, received the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 1994.

The destiny of a nation is shaped by ideas, technological advances and social change. But sometimes its destiny can be moulded by the vision and courage of an individual. Yitzhak Rabin was one such individual. He demonstrated the difference one human being, one politician, can make to the course of history.

In his Nobel Peace Prize lecture, President Yasser Arafat said that the prize was not awarded to “crown an achievement, but as an encouragement to pursue a course with greater steps and deeper awareness, with truer intentions so that we may transform the peace option, the peace of the brave, from words into practice and reality”.

These are words of wisdom. But at the same time, that first breakthrough was an achievement in its own right, and one to which he made a vital contribution.

But it was a first achievement - not the crowning achievement. That still lies ahead.

This is why it was so important to set ambitious goals: a framework agreement between Israel and the Palestinians within four months and a permanent status agreement within eleven. These goals reflect our sense of urgency. Achieving them will take creativity, compromise and courage.

I can think of no better way to pay homage to Yitzhak Rabin and his legacy than by bringing his dream - what Yasser Arafat called the peace of the brave – closer to reality. Let us recall the words of the Bible, “Blessed are the peacemakers”.

The Middle East peace process has many friends. They are here today. Friends must be there for the good times – and they must be there when the going gets rougher.

The tireless efforts of President Clinton and the United States are crucial to the peace process. Egypt, Jordan and Morocco have made invaluable contributions. The European Union is playing an essential role, politically and economically. As a co-sponsor the Russian Federation has made a major contribution. The United Nations and the World Bank are essential instruments. As we know all too well, lasting peace will only prevail when the economic and social underpinnings are secured.

Norway is proud that Oslo has lent its name to the first historic agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. My government will continue to support the peace process in every way it can. This is a political and a moral imperative.

On the White House lawn on that same historic day, 13 September 1993, President Clinton said, “Throughout the Middle East, there is a great yearning for the quiet miracle of a normal life.”

Let us rededicate ourselves to making that quiet miracle happen.

Thank you.

Yitzhak Rabin – Biography

Yitzhak Rabin was born in Jerusalem in 1922; he studied at the Kadoorie Agricultural College where he graduated with distinction.
His military career began in 1940 when he joined the "Palmach", the elite unit of the Haganah. During the War of Independence (1948-1949), he commanded the Harel Brigade, deployed on the Jerusalem front. For the next 20 years, he served with the IDF as O.C. Northern Command (1956-1959); as Chief of Operations and Deputy Chief of Staff (1959-1964) and as Chief of Staff (1964-1968), commanding the IDF during the Six-Day War.
On January 1, 1968, he retired from military service and shortly afterwards was appointed ambassador to the United States. During his years as ambassador in Washington, he promoted and consolidated the ties between the two countries.
In the spring of 1973, Rabin returned to Israel and became active in the Labour Party. He was elected Member of the Knesset in December 1973 and when Golda Meir formed her government in April 1974, was appointed Minister of Labour.
On June 2, 1974, the Knesset expressed confidence in a new government headed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
During Rabin's premiership, the government placed special emphasis on strengthening the economy, solving social problems and reinforcing the IDF.
With American mediation, disengagement agreements were signed with Egypt and Syria (1974), followed by an interim agreement with Egypt in 1975. Later in 1975, the first Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the governments of Israel and the United States.
In June 1976, Rabin's government issued the order for "Operation Entebbe", liberating the hijacked Air France passengers.
Following the May 1977 elections, and until the formation of the National Unity Government in September 1984, Rabin served as a Knesset Member of the Labour Party in opposition and was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
In the National Unity Governments (1984-1990), Rabin served as Minister of Defense. In January 1985, he presented the proposal for the withdrawal of IDF forces from Lebanon and the establishment of a security zone to guarantee peace to the settlements along Israel's northern border.
Yitzhak Rabin was elected chairman of the Israel Labour Party in its first nationwide primaries conducted in February 1992 and led the party to victory in the June 1992 Knesset elections.
In July 1992, Rabin formed Israel's 25th government and became its 11th Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and acting Minister of Religious Affairs and Labour and Social Affairs.
Rabin's biographical book, "Service Notebook", was published in 1979 and was translated into English and French.
His book on Lebanon, written after Operation "Peace for Galilee", was published in 1983.