Israel Celebrates Shimon Peres 80th Birthday - Sharon, Katsav and Olmert Organize Event

"The Marking of Peres' 80th Birthday is an opportunity to look forward with the man who has his feet firmly planted on the ground as his vision sails to the future."

Contact: YORAM DORI - Beeper: 972-3-610-6666 code: 45544 YAEL LOTAN - LOTAN COMMUNICATIONS E-mail: lotan@lotan.org.il ALIZA GOREN E-mail: aliza@gorenco.co.il JOEL LEYDEN - LEYDEN COMMUNICATIONS (Israel) E-mail: media@leyden.net LINDA RIVKIND - Government Press Office E-mail:lrivkind@netvision.net.il

Tel Aviv----September 20……The Israeli Government, Israeli leaders in industry, trade and culture and members of the Israeli defense establishment are taking the opportunity of former Prime Minister and Defense Minister Shimon Peres 80th birthday to organize an international event in Israel to illustrate Israel's quest for peace and security.

Shimon Peres epitomizes Israel and its cherished history. From serving as Israeli Prime Minister, Defense Minister and Foreign Minister, establishing Israel's nuclear programs and coordinating the legendary Entebbe rescue mission to seeking peace at Oslo and today serving as the head of Israel's Labor party, Nobel Peace Laureate Shimon Peres has stood tall for Israel for over 60 years of public service.

The "Party" is not so much a celebration of Shimon Peres as it is a celebration of Israel itself.

Event organizers, President Moshe Katsav, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have invited global leaders to Israel, to break bread with Israelis and witness first hand Israel's achievements in defense, industry and culture. With these world leaders come the international press corps who we invite to examine and report on Israel's thriving democracy.

This celebration was made possible by private donations and through the unselfish work of volunteers from all spectrums of the political sphere. The only area in which the Israeli government has allocated very limited funds was for the security of Israeli governmental officials and the honored guests (many of whom are bringing their own security) who are to arrive shortly in our home - Israel.

The success of this special international event can only be judged by those who have accepted to take part in it. We, the Israeli people, say: "thank you" to all those who will be arriving in Israel to join us in this celebration of Shimon Peres, Israeli democracy and Israel's continued pursuit of peace with all her neighbors.

H. E. Mr. Paulo Jorge Teixeira Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Angola Angola Dr. Carlos Alberto Bulgheroni President, Bridas Corporation Argentina Mr. Viktor Klima President, Volkswagen Argentina, Former Chancellor of Austria Argentina The Hon. Bob Hawke Former Prime Minister of Australia Australia Dr. Franz Vranitzky Former Chancellor of Austria Austria Mr. Heinz Fischer Second President of the National Council, Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria Austria Mr. Jacques Simonet Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Belgium Dr. Peter Meyer-Viol Belgium Sr. Enrique Baron Crespo Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of the Party of European Socialists Belgium Mr. Francois ZIMERAY Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Delegation for Relations with Israel Belgium Monsieur Jacques Graubart President, Belgian Friends of Yad Vashem Belgium Mr. Adam Nyman CEO, EUpolitix.com Belgium Ministro Nelson Azevedo Jobim Vice Presidente do Supremo Tribunal Federal Brazil H.E. Mr. Angel Marin Vice President Bulgaria H.E. Dr. Solomon Passy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Bulgaria Mr. Sergei Stanishev Chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Bulgaria Ms. Lison Benarroch Le Groupe S.M. International Inc. Canada Mr. & Mrs. Harry & Nancy J. F. Bloomfield Queen's Counsel and President of the ELDEE foundation Canada Mr. Josef Burnett Canada Mr. Johann Olav Koss President & CEO, Olympic Aid Canada Mr. Bernard Poulin President, The S.M. Group International inc. Canada Ms. Irit Shay Canada Mr. Uri Sagman President, C Sixty Inc. Canada Mr. David Berger Canada Mr. Donald Wright Canada H.E. Mr. Ivan Mesias Lehu Former Vice-President of the Chilean Parlament Chile H.E. Mr. Wang Changyi Former Ambassador of China to Israel, Member of the State Political and Consultative Committee China Licenciada Karen Olsen Beck de Figueres Former Ambassador of Costa Rica to Israel Costa Rica Mrs. Simone Gbagbo First Lady of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire Cote d'Ivoire Hon. Mr. Alecos P. Michaelides President of the Institute for Eurodemocracy, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Cyprus Mrs. Mary PAPADOPOULOS CEO, M.P.D. Secure-net Cyprus Mr. Prodromos PAPAVASSILIOU Honorary Consul of Israel, Honorary Chairman of the Cyprus-Israel Association Cyprus Hon. Mr. George Vassiliou Former President of Cyprus Cyprus Mr. Jan KAVAN President of The UN General Assembly, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Czech Republic Rev. Joan Brown Campbell Chairman, National Council of Churches Ms. Dena Merriam Senior Vice President, Ruder & Finn H.E. Mr. Cyril SVOBODA Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Czech Republic Mr. Pavel Svarc CEO, Unipetrol a.s Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Rodrigo Borja Former President of Ecuador Ecuador H.E. Dr. Nahum Fasil Legal Advisor to the Prime Minister Ethiopia Mr. Charles Reisman General Director, BNP PARIBAS France Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Grosman Celio Company France Mr. Prosper Amouyal President, Caron Perfume France Monsieur Dr. Jacques Attali Chairman, A&A France Mr. Pierre Besnainou Director, LibertySurf France Dr. Joachim Bitterlich Executive Vice President of International Affairs, Amb. Er. , Veolia France Dr. Arrik Delouya Sociologist Researcher and Expert Consultant, Communication & Development Strategy Fund Raising France Monsieur Dr. Robert Parienti Delegue General, l'Institut WEIZMANN des Sciences France Mr. Rene Guitton Editions Calmann-Levy France Mr. Philippe Guez Deutche Bank France Monsieur Claude Lanzmann Film Director France Monsieur le Ministre Francois Leotard Former Minister of Defense of France France Ms. Cynthia Liebow Foreign Literature, Les Editions Noir sur Blanc France Mr. Jacques Toledano President, Filroc and Avis France M. Hubert Berebi President, SOMERCOM France Mr. Eric Ghebali Development Senior Vice President, SUEZ Group France Mr. Francois Albert Levy General Manager, Searchspace France France Mr. Claude Uzan France Ms. Ilana Shimmel France Monsieur l'ambassadeur Enrico Macias France Mr. Badry Arkady Patarkatsishvili Georgia Mr. Manfred Staudinger Member of Board, Staudinger Consulting Germany Mrs. Iris Berben MOOVIE the art of entertaiment Germany Mr. Gregory Blatt Executive Vice President, Business Development, Hubert Burda Media Germany H.E. Mr. Joschka Fischer German Minister of Foreign Affairs Germany H.E. Mr. Otto Schily Federal Minister of the Interior of Germany Germany Mr. & Mrs. Otto Georg Germany Mr. Klaus Krone CEO, Krone MT - telecommunications Germany Mr. Heskel Nathaniel ARS AGO Germany Dr. Ferdinand Piech Chairman, The Board of management, Volkswagen AG Germany Hon. Dr. H. c. Johannes H. Rau Federal President of Germany Germany Mr. Rafael Seligmann Writer and Journalist Germany Dr. Uriel J. Sharef Executive Vice President, Siemens AG Germany Hernn Oliver Haeggberg Executive Advisor, TDEK Germany H.E. Mr. George A. Papandreou Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Greece H. E. Mr. Dimitris Dollis Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Development Cooperation Greece Mrs. Photini Tomai-Constantopoulou Director of the Service of Diplomatic Records of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece Greece Mr. & Mrs. Masias & Bella Restis President of Rhodes Jewish Community; President of Enterprises Shipping and Trading Greece H.E. Mr. Laszlo Kovacs Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary Hungary Mr. Maulana Wahiduddin-Khan President, The Islamic Center India Mr. Terje Roed Larsen Special Envoy to the Middle East, United Nations Israel Dr. Mohammed Qutob Israel Dr. Alfredo Ambrosetti Chairman, Ambrosetti Srl Italy Mrs. Gabriela David Director, Servonat Italy Mr. Alfonso De Virgiliis Lawyer Italy Mr. Massimiliano Fuksas Architect Italy Prof. Rita Levi-Montalcini Italy Prof. Dr. Marco Petroni Italy Mr. Mario Moretti Polegato Geox Respira Italy Mr. Giancarlo Elia Valori President, Unione Industriali Roma Italy The Honorable Walter Veltroni Mayor of Rome Italy Mr. Massimo Toschi Consigliere del Presidente della Regione Toscana Italy Mr. Nobuo FUJIWARA President, Japan-Israel Chamber of Commerce Japan Mr. Suliman Ghezawi Chairman, The Jordan Valley Farmers Association Jordan Dr. Jihad A.K. Barghouthi Ear, nose and throat consultant & neuro-otologist Jordan Mr. Zeyad Salah President, Zayad Salah and Partners Contracting Jordan Dr. Tarek Tarawneh Managing Director, Interdisciplinary Research Consultants Jordan Prof. Wadi Shariha Former Dean of the Jordan University; Senior Lecturer in Economic Planning Jordan General (Ret.) Ihsan Shurdom Former Chief of Staff RJAF; Former advisor to King Hussein; Head of the Jordanian Chapter of Copenhagen Group Jordan General (Ret.) Mansour Abu Rashid Chairman, Amman Center for Peace & Development Jordan Mr. & Mrs. Timur and Alfiya Kuanyshev Presidents, Holy Sounds Foundation International Kazakhstan Hon. Emmanuel K. Maitha Minister Kenya Cllr. Joe Akech Mayor of Nairobi Kenya Cllr. John Mutahi Waweru Mayor, Thika Municipal Council Kenya Herrn Pierre Schneider Honorary Consul of Israel in Luxembourg Luxembourg Ms. Monique Hamilius Luxembourg H.E. Prof. Guido de Marco President of Malta Malta Ms. Rosette FENECH Director, Malta Airport Malta Mr. Joe Mifsud Chairperson, Euro-Med Movement Malta Mtra. Tamara Kolangui de Levin Universidad Anahuac Mexico Mr. Serge Berdugo Secretary-General, Council of Jewish Communities in Morocco Morocco H.E. Mr. Francisco Madeira Minister of the Presidency of Mozambique Mozambique Hon. Ike Nwachkwu Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nigeria Rt. Hon. David Trimble MP Ulster Unionist Party Northern Ireland Mr. Jens P. Heyerdahl Director, ORKLA Industries Norway H.E. Mr. Thorbjoern Jagland Member of Parliament Norway Ms. Tove Kvammen Midelfart Lawyer Norway Mr. Husseini Kamel Palestinian Authority H.E. Minister Tadeusz Iwinski Secretary of State, Office of the Prime Minister Poland H.E. Minister Marek Maciej Siwiec Chief of the National Security Bureau of the Republic of Poland Poland Mr. Karol Drozd Polish Chapter of the Peres Center for Peace, P.H.Z Bartimpex S.A. Poland H.E. Mr. Dusan Mihajlovic Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Republic of Serbia Mr. & Mrs. Gerald & Vera Weisfeld Weisfeld Foundation Scotland H.E. Mr. Vladan Batic Minister of Justice Serbia and Montenegro H.E. Mr. Boris Tadec Minister of Defense Serbia and Montenegro H.E. Mr. Rudolf Schuster President of the Slovak Republic Slovak Republic Hon. Mr. Milan Kucan Former President of the Republic of Slovenia Slovenia H.E. F. W. de Klerk The F.W. de Klerk Foundation South Africa Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi M.P. Minister of Home Affairs South Africa Hon. Tony Leon Leader of the Democratic Party South Africa Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Toledano & Monique Hatchwell President, Excem Grupo, Federacion Sefaradi Espana Spain H.E. Mrs. Ana Palacio Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain Spain Hon. Noemi Sanin Posada Ambassador of Columbia to Spain Spain Mr. Pilippe Amon Switzerland Hon. Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev President, Green Cross International and International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies Switzerland Mr. Alexander Likhotal CEO, Green Cross International Switzerland The Hon. Mr. Jose Maria Figueres Senior Managing Director, World Economic Forum, Former President of Costa Rica Switzerland Mr. Axel Loehken Engineer Switzerland Mr. Hikmet Cetin Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Turkey Mr. Jak V. Kamhi President, Profilo Holdings A.S. Turkey Mr. Joseph Kay United Kingdom Mr. Darryl Edwards President UK, Ireland & Northern Region, EMEA, Nortel Networks United Kingdom Sir Richard Greenbury Philips United Kingdom The Lord Greville Janner United Kingdom Mr. Jonathan Kestenbaum Advisor, Apax Partners Holdings LTD United Kingdom The Rt. Hon. Lord Michael Levy M&G Records, Queens Studio United Kingdom Mr. & Mrs. William Nagel United Kingdom Mr. Luis Ayala Secretary General, Socialist International United Kingdom Mr. & Mrs. Poju Zabludowicz Ivory Gate (UK) LTD. United Kingdom Captain & Mrs. Reginald Levy D.F.C. United Kingdom Mr. Michael M. Geiger Managing Director, Shamrock International LTD United Kingdom Mr. Darko Horvat CEO, Aktiva Capital Limited United Kingdom Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Rix Lord Justice of Appeal, Member of the Privy Council United Kingdom M. Ilan Rudich Development Resources Int. United Kingdom Mr. & Mrs. Stanley & Alison Saffer Trott & Gentry United Kingdom Mr. Jonathan Morris United Kingdom Mr. Ynon Kreiz The Media Center United Kingdom Mr. Daniel S. Abraham Chairman, SDA Enterprises, Inc. USA Kenneth Bialkin Esq. Skadden, Arpa, Slate, Meanger & Flom LLP USA The Hon. President William Jefferson Clinton Founder, William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, Former President of the United States USA Mr. Adam Chesnoff President & Chief Operating Officer, Saban Capital Group, Inc. USA Mr. Pascal Debon Nortel Networks Limited USA Mr. Abe Foxman Head of the Anti Defamation League USA Mrs. Amy Friedkin President, AIPAC USA Mr. Malcolm Hoenlein Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations USA Mr. Howard Kohr Executive Director, AIPAC USA Mr. Steven C. Koppel Heller Ehrman Attorneys USA Ms. Sara Ehrman Senior Advisor, Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation USA Ms. Toni Verstandig Senior Policy Advisor, Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation USA Ms. Judith Barnett Managing Consultant, PA Consulting Group USA Amb. Clay Constantinou (Ret.) Dean, School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University USA Nancy Duber Bernstein Company USA Mr. Zev Furst President, First International Resources USA Amb. Marc Ginsberg CEO and Managing Director, Northstar Equity Group USA Mr. & Mrs. Brian & Myra Greenspun Las Vegas Sun USA Mr. Irwin T. Holtzman USA Mr. Rafael Kravec Founder and CEO, French Fragrances USA Mr. Harvey Krueger Vice President, Lehman Brothers USA Amb. Ronald S. Lauder R. S. Lauder, Gasper & Company USA Mr. Morris Levy Vice President, Morsly Inc. USA Mr. Stephen Levy President, Morsly Inc. USA Dr. Frank Luntz President, Luntz Research USA Mrs. Christine Lynn USA Mr. Hani Masri Chairman, Capital Investment Management Corporation USA Ms. Isabel Maxwell Apax Partners USA Mr. Arnon Milchan Founder & Producer, New Regency Productions, Inc. USA Mr. Aaron D. Miller President, Seeds of Peace USA Mr. Russell Robinson USA Mr. Haim Saban CEO, Saban Entertainment, Inc USA Ms. Liliane Shalom L.S. Consulting LTD. USA Mr. Stephen Shalom USA Mr. Alan Slifka Chairman of the Board, The Abraham Fund Initiatives USA Mr. Harold Tanner President, The American Jewish Committee USA Mr. Joel Kaplan President, B'nai B'rith International USA Mr. Thomas J. Madden Chairman and CEO, TransMedia Group Inc. USA Dr. Dan Maydan President Emeritus, Applied Materials USA Ms. Bernice Manocherian President Elect., AIPAC USA Mrs. Georgette Mosbacher USA Mr. & Mrs. Serge Sorokko USA Mr. Melvin Salberg Anderson, Kill & Olick USA Mr. Andre G. Sassoon Attorney At Law USA Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Etoile Volin USA Mrs. Elizabeth (Lally) G. Weymouth Senior Editor and Special Diplomatic Correspondent, Newsweek Inc. USA Ms. Kathleen Turner actress USA Mr. Sergey Brin Co-Founder and President, Google USA Mr. Larry Page Co-Founder, Google USA Ms. Helena Galper Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind USA

9:30 a.m. - Sponsors / Guests reception at Peres Center for Peace, 132 Kedem Street, Jaffa

15:30 - Official guests attend reception with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Jerusalem

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Shimon Peres was born in August 1923 in Poland. Preceded two years earlier by his father, Peres and his family moved to Tel Aviv in 1934.

After a number of years in Kibbutz Geva and Kibbutz Alumot, Peres was elected Secretary of the Labor youth movement in 1943.

In 1947, Peres was conscripted into the Haganah Defense Forces and assigned responsibility for manpower and arms purchases, continuing this post during the early part of Israel's War of Independence. A year later, Peres was appointed head of Israel's navy and at the war's end assumed the position of Director of the Defense Ministry's procurement delegation in the United States.

In 1953, at the age of 29, Peres was appointed by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to the post of Director General of the Defense Ministry, a position he held until 1959. During that period he established Israel's electronic aircraft industry and was responsible for Israel's nuclear program.

In 1959, Peres was elected to Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and has remained a member ever since. From that year, and until 1965, he served as Deputy Defense Minister. In 1965, together with David Ben-Gurion, he left the Mapai Labor Party and became Secretary General of Rafi (Israel Workers List). In 1968, he initiated bringing Rafi back to Mapai to form the Israel The Labor Party.

The following year he was appointed Immigrant Absorption Minister and from 197074 served as Minister of Transportation and Communications. In 1974, after a period as Information Minister, Peres was appointed Defense Minister, a position he held until 1977.

Prior to the elections in 1977, which placed the The Labor Party in opposition, Peres was elected Chairman of the The Labor Party, a post he held until 1992. During that period he was elected Vice President of the Socialist International.

Upon the establishment of a National Unity Government, in September 1984, Peres served as Prime Minister and between 1986-88 as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. From November 1988 until the dissolution of the National Unity Government in 1990, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

In July 1992, after the election of the new Labor Government, Peres was appointed Foreign Minister. In 1994, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

On November 5, 1995, following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Peres was appointed acting Prime Minister and on November 22, 1995, after being approved by the Knesset, he was sworn in as Prime Minister and Defense Minister. He served in these two posts until the May 1996 elections.

During this trying period, Peres strove to maintain the momentum in the peace process, despite a wave of terrorist attacks by Palestinian suicide bombers against Israeli civilians.

Shimon Peres continued to serve as chairman of the Labor Party for a year after the party's election defeat. In June 1997, former Chief-of-Staff and Labor Member of Knesset Ehud Barak was elected chairman of the Labor Party.

From 1996-1999, he served as a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and Minister of Regional Cooperation from July 1999 until March 2001. In March 2001, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister.

He created the Peace Research Institute with the aim of promoting and implementing regional economic projects. He is married, and has three children.

Shimon Peres has authored ten books, including The Next Step (1965); David's Sling; Entebbe Diary (1991), The New Middle East, For the Future of Israel and Battling for Peace; A Memoir.

SHIMON PERES’ 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM Friday, September 19, 2003

Dear Friends,

Ten years ago, on August 20, 1993, Shimon Peres celebrated his 70th birthday in Oslo, Norway. According to his book, “The New Middle East”, he initialed “in the wee hours of the night” an Arab-Israeli Accord, which had been arrived at in utter secrecy.

According to Peres this Norway setting was ideal. A close-knit group of Norwegian Government people made itself available for passing messages between Israel and the PLO. The group included Foreign Minister Jurgen Holst and his wife, Marianne, and the head of the Political Research Institute, Terje Larson and his wife Mona. When discussions began to intensify, this group spared no logistical or other effort to keep the momentum going and to maintain secrecy. Even Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was initially kept in the dark about these secret negotiations. However, President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmru Mussah, and adviser Osmah el-Baaz were privy to the fact that secret talks were underway.

Extraordinary! The Egyptians knew that secret talks were being conducted, but Peres’ own Government, and the Israeli People, were not so informed! But then, Peres has always had contempt for democratic procedures. Indeed, he boasts: “I may not know what the People want; I do know what is good for the People.” (Jerusalem Post International Edition, December 23, 1995)

The entire Oslo Process was brought about by stealth and deception on the part of Peres.

He gave recognition to the world’s then-leading terrorist as the legitimate leader of the Arabs living in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. He entered into peace agreements with the PLO, an organization committed to Israel’s destruction. He gave this arch terrorist murderer, Arafat, guns and ammunition for a “police force”, which he fantasized would prevent further attacks upon Israel’s citizens. He surely is the first leader of a country to arm its professed enemy with the expectation of gaining security.

The Arabs must have had a good laugh! They made fools out of those who negotiated the Oslo charade; they scored the first real victory against Israel since 1948.

But Peres didn't have a clue as to the real intentions of the Arabs. He tells us in his aforementioned book “The New Middle East” how Abu Ala, a Senior PLO representative (presently Arafat’s handpicked puppet Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority), smiled warmly at him. “This agreement”, Abu Ala said, “IS YOUR BIRTHDAY PRESENT”. This “BIRTHDAY PRESENT” was, of course, the Trojan horse which Peres naively led into Israel’s very midst.

The ongoing Palestinian war of terror is a direct and inevitable result of these 1993 Oslo Accords - the worst blunder in Israel’s political history. The decade of carnage and blood that Oslo ushered in, is still erupting all around us. 1,110 Israelis have been murdered and thousands have ben maimed for life since Shimon Peres accepted his 70th birthday present from the Arabs.

But Peres refuses to admit any responsibility. In an article entitled “We Did Not Err” in Ma’ariv, the second largest newspaper in Israel, Peres writes: “THERE WAS NO SMARTER STEP THAN THE OSLO AGREEMENT...”

Never mind that he has brought grief and sorrow to so many families who have lost loved ones or suffered serious injuries. Peres is incapable of admitting error and continues to inject his poor judgment on crucial issues of the day. He recently met with U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and sharply criticized Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for not fulfilling his pledges, including the dismantling of settlements. He also stated that Israel has not honored its promise to release enough Arab prisoners and that the Sharon Government is making a major mistake by not negotiating as long as there is terror. He stated that the political situation needs to be handled with “care and wisdom”, something which he, of course, never did.

Ten years after that handshake on the lawn of the White House Rose Garden, Peres defends Arafat and condemns Israel. Peres’ way of handling the political situation has been to close his eyes and to refuse to face the tragic reality of his own making, which exists in Israel today.

The Jerusalem Report in the May 1, 1997 issue reports an extraordinary remark of Peres with regard to peacemaking.

“In Argentina, the home of the tango, you know that in order to dance well you have to close your eyes and let the romance begin… Peace is a romantic process.”

This remark certainly illustrates how Peres lives in a dream world of his own. He has closed his eyes for the last ten years, while his so-called “peace partner” has killed 1,110 innocent civilians and maimed thousands. Tragically, Peres is dancing the Tango completely by himself on the graves of our loved ones.

Now Shimon Peres is celebrating his 80th birthday and is attempting to make this a national affirmation and recognition of his “achievements”. Obscenely, Prime Minister Sharon has declared this a State sponsored and State financed event. Sharon who in the past has accused Peres of “Giving Away the Country” and “Dancing with a Murderer” has assigned four of his staffers to promote Peres’ birthday celebration. He has also asked his Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom to provide an additional two of his staffers for the same purpose. 1,200 police are assigned to provide security for Peres' birthday bash. The Israeli tax payer, including the families of the victims of Oslo, will be forced to foot the bill for this two day extravaganza.

Over 200 people from close to 45 countries have been invited, including Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Polish Prime Minister Alexander Kosniski, Michael Gorbachev, Helmut Kohl, Nelson Mandela, Steven Spielberg, Barbara Streisand, Naomi Campbell, etc., etc., etc.

Israel is currently in dire straights economically. 20% of Israel’s children are malnourished. The Government is reducing welfare payments, and the education budget; it is severely shrinking the basic basket of services covered by the health funds, and making drastic cuts in the defense budget. We are told that we have no money for even vital services. How is it then, that we have money to honor the one person, Shimon Peres, who bears the greatest responsibility for Israel’s dire economic situation and the ongoing slaughter of Jews?

Our organization, Women For Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green), would have liked to ignore Mr. Peres’ birthday. We take no pleasure in raining on his parade. But our organization strongly feels, as does the majority of Israelis, that Oslo has been a tremendous failure. We would have liked to take no notice of Mr. Peres’ birthday, but we cannot ignore our Government permitting this event to become an international affirmation of Oslo, and an international opportunity to approve the creation of a Palestinian State on our Land.

World leaders and, shamefully, our own Government, will enjoy themselves at a dazzling party and pay homage to the main Architect of Oslo, Shimon Peres, who bears the greatest responsibility for the ongoing slaughter of the Jews. The rest of us will hold a Memorial Rally outside the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv where the festivities are taking place, to honor the memory of all those poor souls, who will never be able to celebrate another birthday.

With Blessings and Love for Israel, Ruth Matar

WHO IS FOOTING THE BILL?

Going through the guest list of those coming to the 80th birthday party of Shimon Peres, one is struck by the fact that some of these names are blatant anti-Semites. Nelson Mendela, for instance, always has an anti-Israel position, but he has also adopted the anti-Semitic attitude of many black Americans. His stand at the South African Durban Conference is well known.

Then there is Peres "guest" Kofi Annan, who as head of the U.N.always takes the Arab position on any question against Israel. Bill Clinton is not too far behind in causing harm to Israel, directly and indirectly. You could go on and on mentioning names from the guest list of foreign notables who are not friendly to Israel. They have one thing in common. Their relationship with Peres, does not preclude them from acting to hurt Israel, whenever the opportunity presents itself to do so.

In other words, they have found in Peres the ideal Jew! They can continue in their anti-Israel and anti-Semitic behavior and point to their friendship with Peres as proof that they are not in any way anti-Semitic. "Some of my best friends are Jewish" they will proclaim, pointing of course to old man Peres as their prime example.

Peres prefers the appellation of being a citizen of the world rather than a citizen of Israel. His international socialist philosophy fits well into his thinking in this regard. The truth is that Peres has never really considered himself a proud Jew. He never was really interested in understanding or learning about Judaism or any of its rich customs and traditions.

That makes Peres an ideal person to acquire as a "friend" by these foreign dignitaries. He makes no demand on them for loyalty to Israel. He himself continually and openly downgrades Israel to U.S. Government officials and in the international media. He, moreover, praises his association and friendship with Arafat. Despite Arafat's intifada, and the suicide bombings encouraged by Arafat, Peres still continues to consider Arafat as one of his buddies and a "great leader" of his People; this despite U.S. President Bush's recent statement to the contrary.

There are many unanswered questions about this so called "party". Who is paying for the plane fare of the guests, their stay at hotels, etc.? Is the one footing the bill the Government of Israel? And why during these difficult economic times? No one seems to want to respond, but the public in Israel is entitled to direct and unequivocal answers to these important questions.

Jerusalem, September 21, 2003 Ruth and Nadia Matar

"They can continue in their anti-Israel and anti-Semitic behavior and point to their friendship with Peres as proof that they are not in any way anti-Semitic."

If this statement was true, then Prime Minister Sharon, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Katsav and Defense Minister Mofaz are "anti-Israel" and "anti-Semitic."

The Peres tribute was not coordinated by the Labor Party but rather by Israel's right. As Ehud Olmert and Malcom Hoilein said so well: "you don't have to agree with Peres's politics, but in the Jewish tradition, we honor other human beings in a democracy."

I also don't agree with Peres's statements supporting that the Nobel Price should have gone to Arafat or that Jerusalem should be divided, but I do recognize the accomplishments of Peres who was one that founded the state of Israel, created Israel's nuclear program and coordinated the Entebbe rescue mission - among other achievements. I do embrace Israel's democratic right to freedom of speech - this is what seperates us from Syria and Iran!

As for who "footed the bill" it was all from private donations. The government only paid for the security of government officials. As stated, this event was not about Shimon Peres, it was about a united Israel. It was about dozens of businesspeople who came to Israel in a time of crisis to create new business and jobs for this young country. There was a full day of academic and business networking at Tel Aviv University!

How can one be "anti-Israel" and "anti-Semitic" if they take the time to travel to Israel (ignoring the daily terror attacks) and support a Likud government sponsored event?

The hate, incitement and lack of tolerance by many who responded here brings back painful memories of the incitement against Yitzhak Rabin before he was assasinated. Do we again forget that Israel is a pluralistic democracy? Have we learned anything from Rabin's assasination?

As Jews we are supposed to live by higher humanistic morales and standards than our Islamic enemies. Israel was created as a "light unto all nations" - much of the hate seen here is not light, but rather darkness that makes Israel's enemies smile. They wait for Jews to attack Jews, while they gather at our gates.

Focus on our real enemies - Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Fatah, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the poverty for which this terrorism is creating!

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