«I have come from the land of Israel. The land of Zion and Jerusalem. And here I stand in humility and with pride as a son of the Jewish people, as one of the generation of the Holocaust and the redemption.

The ancient Jewish people gave the world the vision of eternal peace, of universal disarmament, of abolishing the teaching and learning of war. Two prophets, Yeshayahu ben Amotz and Micha Hamorashti, having foreseen the spiritual unity of man under God with His word coming forth from Jerusalem gave the nations of the world the following vision expressed in identical terms:

«And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

We mortals who believe in Divine Providence when recalling these sacred prophecies, ask ourselves not whether, but when, is this vision going to become reality. We remember the past. Even in this century alone and we know, we look around we see millions of men of all nations under arms. Intercontinental missiles deposited in the bowels of the earth or lying on the beds of the oceans can destroy man and everything he has built.

Not in Alfred Nobels time, but in our own era, has mankind become capable of destroying itself and returning the earth to tohu vavohu. Under such circumstances, should we, can we, keep our faith in an eternal peace that will one day reign over mankind? Yes. We should and we can. Perhaps that very capability of total destruction of our little planet achieved for the first time in the annals of mankind will one day, God willing, become the origin, the cause and the prime mover for the elimination of all instruments of destruction from the face of the earth and ultimate peace, prayed for and yearned for by previous generations, will become a portion of all nations, despite the tragedies and disappointments of the past. We must never forsake that vision. That human dream. That unshakable faith.

Peace is the beauty of life, it is sunshine, it is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth. Peace is all of these and more.

And so reborn Israel always strove for peace. Yearned for it. Made endless endeavors to achieve it.

My colleagues and I have gone in the footsteps of our predecessors since the very first day we were called by our people to care for their future. We went any place. We looked for any avenue. We made any effort to bring about negotiations between Israel and its neighbors. Negotiations without which peace remains an abstract desire.

We have labored long and hard to turn it into a reality because of the blessings it holds for ourselves, for our neighbors. The world. In peace, the Middle East, the ancient cradle of civilization, will become invigorated and transformed. Throughout its lands there will be freedom of movement of people, of ideas, of goods, and cooperation and development in agriculture will make the deserts blossom. Industry will bring the promise of a better life. Sources of water will be developed and the almost year-long sunshine will yet be harnessed for the common needs of all the nations. Yes, indeed, the Middle East, standing at the crossroads of the world, will become a peaceful center of international communication between East and West, North and South a center of human advancement in every sphere of creative endeavor. This and more is what peace will bring to our region…

Enviado por Enrique Ibañes