On Himself

[Following his defeat in the 1996 Prime Ministerial elections, Peres proposed canceling the Labor Party primary elections and instead creating a body of electors to choose candidates] "I have tremendous support in the party, and there is no need for each and every person to support me. In the rank and file I have a massive, undisputed backing."
(The Jerusalem Post, July 29, 1996)

[At the Labor Party convention following his 1996 defeat , Peres asked the delegates, presumably rhetorically:] They call me a loser. I ask you, am I a loser?" The delegates overwhelming bellowed "Yes"."
(The Jerusalem Report, June 12, 1997)

[Asked why he continues in public life at his advanced age] " Why not? I am healthy. I'm alert. I'm experienced. And I don't seek power."
(San Diego Union-Tribune, August 29, 1997)

COMMENT: Since that assertion, Peres has actively sought the Presidency of Israel (he lost) and the leadership of the Labor Party (he lost). He accepted a minor ministry under Ehud Barak and won the foreign ministry in the Sharon government.

[Asked why he did not leave the Barak government in which he complained of the way he was treated, Peres responded] "Political death is more difficult than physical death."
(New York Times, August 21, 1999)

"The respect for me is larger than for my views."
(Chicago Tribune, August 17, 1999)

COMMENT: We publish this collection of Peres' remarks to help correct this.

"I've reached a stage where I'm really an independent political figure. Nobody can take away from what I've done, and nobody can add to what I need. . . . And I think it is for me and for my generation to make the tough decisions and clear the way for a future generation that will not have as many contradictions and dilemmas. . . . In historic terms, we are nearing an end to the season of hunting in human experience and entering the season of creation."
(Transcript of interview with Mark Marvel, July, 1995, findarticles.com)

COMMENT: As radical Islam threatens to replace Communism as a threat to Western civilization, it would seem premature to talk of an end to the "season of hunting in human experience."

[On being criticized for an unauthorized meeting with Yasser Arafat in Lisbon] " I didn't enter this government in order to betray my soul."
(Jerusalem Post, July 4, 2001)

COMMENT: In ignoring the decision of the cabinet and undercutting its policy, Peres violated his obligation as Foreign Minister. If he felt he would "betray his soul" in not meeting Arafat, he had the option of resigning to preserve its purity.

"I have had to battle against opposition. And many people prefer to remember the battles rather than look ahead. What remains are results and leaders should be judged on their records. . ."
(Australia/Israel Review, June 6-26, 1997)

"My proudest moment in my life was Oslo."
(Australia/Israel Review, June 6-June 26, 1997)

[Asked how he would like to be remembered] "I would like to be judged with a single sentence; that here was a man who believed that to save a life of a single person today is more important than to be inscribed in a hundred pages in the history of the world. That's my feeling."
(Australia/Israel Review, June 6-26, 1997)

COMMENT: Note that Peres does not refer to being inscribed in 100 pages in a history of Israel, but thinks he might rate 100 pages in the history of the world!

"I have nothing to regret. We created a revolution which the nation will never forget."
(Jerusalem Post, June 29, 1996).

COMMENT: The Oslo agreements were supposed to be a policy promulgated by responsible government leaders in a democracy, not "a revolution" from above. In fact, the entire Oslo Process was brought about by stealth and deception on the part of Peres; he is undoubtedly correct that Israel and the Jewish people will never forget his reckless revolution.

"[Ben Gurion] liked and appreciated my daring approach. Since then, I have never stopped daring. Oslo, too, was a dare!"
(Globes interview, Jan. 9, 2000)

COMMENT: Here Peres' recklessness is bared for all to see. Oslo was a dare, a game, a gamble, an impulse, an improvisation. QQ

"As a protŽgŽ of David Ben-Gurion, I subscribe to his philosophy that "I may not know what the people want; I do know what is good for the people."
(Jerusalem Post International Edition, December 23, 1995)

COMMENT: And he accuses Netanyahu of being a Bolshevik! (see earlier item in Israel and Zionism) QQ

""(In 1967) Ben-Gurion embraced me and said: 'I know many people who are prepared to work hard and make sacrifices in order to attain their goal, but I know no one like Shimon who will do this so devotedly, without taking into account any personal interest or calculation whatsoever.'"
(Peres, Battling For Peace, p. 92).

COMMENT: Either Peres took very detailed notes of Ben-Gurion's remarks thirty years earlier, or he reconstructed them in a shameless display of egotism.

"With my experience and connections and imagination, I want to try to do about 10 or 15 different things. The process needs someone who represents the point of view of peace. I want to represent peace."
(New York Times, Aug. 21, 1999)

COMMENT: Peres is supposed to represent Israel.