“Prime Minister Rabin dedicated his life to the security of his homeland,” said a statementissued by Ban’s spokesperson ahed of the anniversary, which is to be marked tomorrow.

“He died after courageously seizing on the need and the opportunity to embark on serious peace negotiations with the Palestinians, recognizing that, as he said, ‘you don’t make peace with friends; you can only make peace with your enemies,’” the statement continued, further noting that Rabin was vilified by many for that move, “and then murdered by an opponent of the peace process just when it was at a moment of historic breakthrough.”

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General noted that in the years since, “terrorism, expanding settlements and halting progress in implementing Israeli-Palestinian agreements have repeatedly shattered hopes.”

“Today, the voices of the majority who support peace and oppose violence are being drowned out by inflammatory rhetoric and shocking actions by extremists on all sides,” Ban warned.

Calling the late Israeli leader a “heroic man of peace,” Ban urged all parties to stand firmly against violence and incitement, and to be guided by Prime Minister Rabin’s realization “that the path to true security and strength is through dialogue and compromise.”

Photo: UN Photo/Evan Schneider