Sommerfest der Deutsch-Israelischen Gesellschaft (DIG) Berlin und Potsdam
Berlin, August 29, 2010
Ambassador Philip D. Murphy
Herr Bren d’Amour, vielen Dank für Ihre Gastfreundschaft.
Herr Feilcke, Herr Kempermann, vielen Dank für die Einladung, gemeinsam mit meinem sehr guten Freund Botschafter Yoram Ben Zeev an diesem Sommerfest teilzunehmen.
2008 war Bundeskanzlerin Merkel die erste Regierungschefin, die Israel im sechzigsten Jahr seines Bestehens besuchte. Sie reiste in dem Bewusstsein“ der besonderen Verantwortung Deutschlands für das Existenzrecht Israels“ dorthin. Dieses Bewusstsein für Verantwortung und dieses Engagement zeigen sich auch in der Integrität und Weitsicht Einzelner, wie der Mitglieder der Deutsch-Israelischen Gesellschaft.
Die starken Bande der Vereinigten Staaten zu Israel sind allgemein bekannt. Diese Bande sind unzertrennlich. Sie basieren auf kulturellen und historischen Verbindungen und dem Wissen um die Tatsache, dass das Streben nach einer jüdischen Heimat in einer tragischen Geschichte verwurzelt ist, die nicht geleugnet werden kann.
[Herr Bren d’Amour, thank you for your hospitality.
Herr Feilcke, Herr Kemperman, thank you for the invitation to join my very good friend Ambassador Yoram Ben Zeev here at your summer festival.
In 2008, Chancellor Merkel was the first head of government to visit Israel in its 60th anniversary year. She went, as she declared, in the full awareness of the, quote „special responsibility borne by Germany for the right of the state of Israel to exist.“ That sense of responsibility and commitment is also reflected in the integrity and vision of individuals such as the members of the Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft.
America’s strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. ]
Today America’s relationship to Israel is broader, deeper and more intense than ever before, even as Israel is facing some of the toughest challenges in its history.
From the very first days of the Obama Administration, the United States has worked steadfastly with the Israelis and Palestinians and our international partners to advance the cause of comprehensive peace in the Middle East. We fully share their commitment to the goal of two states – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security. For decades, there has been a stalemate: two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive. It is easy to point fingers but if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, we will be blind to the truth. The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through a two-state solution that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.
We are exceptionally pleased and encouraged by the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestianian President Mahmud Abbas, who later this week will meet in Washington to re-launch direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The day before, on Wednesday, September 1, President Obama will hold meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas – and with President Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan. Tony Blair will represent the so-called Quartet to show further support for the launch of negotiations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas are sincere and serious. Both have indicated that they believe that final status issues can be resolved and that negotiations can be completed within one year. In an editorial in the New York Times last week, Martin Indyk, the United States ambassador to Israel during the Clinton administration, recalled a statement by Shimon Peres. Peres observed that “history is like a horse that gallops past your window and the true test of statesmanship is to jump from that window onto the horse.” Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas deserve credit for their courage in moving forward. This could be a true turning point in the history of this troubled region.
They know – we all know – that this will not be easy. Past efforts at peace cannot – indeed dare not – deter us from trying again, because the cause is noble and just and right for all concerned. It will take patience, persistence, and a willingness to go back again and again, and as Senator Mitchell, the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, said when the re-launch was announced a few weeks ago, “to not take the first no as a final no, to not take the 50th no as the final no nor the 100th no.” This is a real opportunity to move forward.
This is a direct bilateral negotiation between the parties. Yet it is essential that actions by all sides help to advance their efforts, not hinder them. There is broad support by allies around the world. The United States will play an active and sustained role throughout the process. We will do everything possible to support the parties.
Lassen Sie mich mit den Worten von Präsident Obama schließen. Vor einem Jahr sprach er in Kairo von einem Neuanfang zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und den Muslimen überall auf der Welt.
„Es ist einfacher,“ sagte Obama, „Kriege zu beginnen, als sie zu beenden. Es ist einfacher, die Schuld auf andere zu schieben, als sich selbst zu betrachten. Es ist einfacher zu sehen, was uns von jemand anderem unterscheidet, als die Dinge zu finden, die wir gemeinsam haben. Aber wir sollten uns für den richtigen Weg entscheiden, nicht für den einfachen. Es gibt auch eine Regel, die allen Religionen zugrunde liegt – dass man andere behandelt, wie man selbst behandelt werden möchte. Diese Wahrheit überwindet Nationen und Völker – dieser Glaube ist nicht neu, nicht schwarz oder weiß oder braun, gehört nicht Christen, Muslimen oder Juden. … Es steht in unserer Macht, die Welt zu schaffen, die wir uns wünschen, aber nur, wenn wir den Mut für einen Neuanfang besitzen.”
Wir können viel aus der Geschichte Deutschlands lernen – nämlich wie man einen Neuanfang macht, wie man Gemeinsamkeiten entdeckt und wie man auf der Grundlage der Menschenwürde und mit Blick auf die Zukunft, die wir für unsere Kinder anstreben, gemeinsame Interessen definiert. Die Tatsache, dass wir – Deutsche, Israelis und Amerikaner – an diesem Augustnachmittag hier im Zentrum Berlins stehen können, wo im vergangenen Jahrhundert so viel geschehen ist, um das Ende des Sommers (und gemäß dem jüdischen Kalender den Beginn des neuen Jahres) zu feiern, ist Zeugnis dieses Weitblicks.
Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit. Shana tovah!
[“It is easier,” President Obama said, “to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples – a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian, or Muslim or Jew. … We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning.”
There are lessons of history to be learned here in Germany – about making a new beginning, about finding common ground, about defining mutual interests based on the future we seek for our children and the dignity of all human beings. The fact that we – Germans, Israelis, Americans – can stand here this August afternoon, here in the center of Berlin where so much happened in the last century, to celebrate the end of summer (and in the Jewish calendar, the start of a New Year) – is testimony to that vision.
Thank you for your attention. Happy New Year! ]
