Madam Speaker,
Ze’evi Family, who are here with us as they are every year,
Those who honor the memory and life of Maj.-Gen. and Minister Rehavam Ze’evi,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Members of Knesset,
"He knew the Land of Israel and all its sites and landscapes. There is no path which he did not walk, no cave in which he did not crawl, no fountain by which he did not kneel, no ruin which he did not measure, no passage in the Jordan which he did not pass, no tomb which he did not visit.
There is no tree under whose shadow he did not find shelter, no peak which he did not reach, no well from which he did not drink.
There is no pit which he did not descend, no synagogue in which he did not pray, no alley in which he did not pass. There is no archeological excavation which he did not visit, no wall or fortress which he did not climb, no village which he did not visit. He was everywhere.
He had perfect command of everything relating to this land – the Bible, archeology, legends, natural sciences – but above all he knew and emphasized the connection between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel".
This was Rehavam Ze'evi's eulogy of his good friend, Prof. Ze'ev Vilnai – and as already mentioned by MK Matan Vilnai, Prof. Vilnai's son, in his speech here marking the end of the "Shiva" – Ze'evi was, in fact, outlining his own profile, or at least that central component of his personality: Ghandi – a Son of the Land of Israel.
The life of a man, any man, is comprised of moments and hours, days and months which add up to a total which is the expression of the mark he leaves on his surroundings and his friends. Ghandi was an exceptional man – both the quantity and quality of his actions and the things with which he filled his inner world.
His actions were marked by a glorious military career, beginning in the Palmach and continued in the IDF, where he climbed the ranks and reached the rank of Major General. During this long career, he revealed himself again and again as a courageous warrior and an exceptional staff officer.
On his release from the IDF he dedicated his talents and energies to the battle against terrorism and served as an adviser to Prime Ministers in this field. He was among the first to recognize the danger embodied in terrorism to the peace of the civilized world.
As for his spiritual world, it was only typical that he settled neither for the numerous treasures with which he filled his own world nor for his remarkable knowledge of the Land of Israel, which he cherished above all.
This he also transformed into actions – by establishing a vast educational enterprise, encompassing dozens of books which he translated and edited on subjects relating to the Land of Israel, and by heading, for 10 years, the Israel Museum, which became, under his stewardship, a unique legacy and a cultural treasure.
It was very easy to like Ghandi, and his countless friends, from all circles and camps in Israeli society, did not change their attitude towards him even when he voiced political opinions which deterred many and even when he expressed his support of the idea of "transfer". This idea was rejected by most Israelis not only as undemocratic but also as contradictory to Jewish values.
The vast majority of the members of this House, as well as the entire Israeli public, never agreed with Ghandi's opinions on this issue, but we all acknowledged his full right to fight for them in public and here in the Knesset. It was also easy to have an adversarial relationship with Ghandi, and I proved this for many years in the test of my relationship with him. But even rivalry with Ghandi had a certain zest which does not exist in rivalries we have all experienced during our careers, and especially in our public ones.
Ghandi was a tough adversary – bold, scheming, cunning, intelligent, civilized – and it was very difficult to face him and stand up to him, also when one did not agree with him, even when one was angry with him, even when one wanted to respond to him blow for blow, one knew that he was an exceptional, unique opponent – one-of-a-kind in the human landscape of the Israeli society he so loved and to which he was addicted his whole life.
Palestinian terrorists, who murdered him for these ideas and for the purpose of silencing him, proved how foreign the cultural and democratic concepts within which Ghandi functioned his whole life are to them.
Today, 5 years after Ghandi's assassination, we must remember not only this remarkable man.
We must remember – and with the same chilling shock which we all felt on that horrible day – the act itself, the murder of an Israeli public representative because of his opinions, the attempt to silence him with the bullet of an assassin because of mere objection to his worldview.
As for his worldview, Ghandi was not an enemy of peace. "No one can teach me the importance of peace", he used to say. "As a soldier who participated in all of Israel's war, I loathe and despise wars. Only those who buried friends, only those who knew fear – and I knew fear many times – know how horrible and dreadful war is. However, in the Middle East, peace is not achieved through persuasion".
Only a strong Israel, which possesses the power of deterrence and clarifies to its enemies that they have no military option against it, can induce its neighbors to make peace with it. In this he was probably right, and I doubt there is anyone who will question it among the Zionist parties in this House.
At a special Knesset plenary marking the first anniversary of that heinous crime, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised his friend Ghandi that his assassins would not escape. Several months ago Ghandi's four assassins were captured, and they are now awaiting indictment by Israeli judges.
The promise was fulfilled.
Over the past few weeks we have established in the Prime Minister's Office the Public Council for the Commemoration of Rehavam Ze'evi. The Council will act to ensure that his image will forever be a part of the future landscapes of the people of Israel.
May his memory be blessed.