Bill Clinton: “Let me say, I wish that all of you who care about this could have seen at least a portion of what I saw in the last 9…”

“Let me say, I wish that all of you who care about this could have seen at least a portion of what I saw in the last 9 days in the interchanges between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat. It was very interesting. They were so different. I can't imagine Mr. Netanyahu in a kaffiyeh. [Laughter] But they were very much alike in their tenacity and their astonishing intelligence and knowledge. Just as I was able to say a thank you to Prime Minister Netanyahu, let me say to Chairman Arafat, I thank you. I thank you for turning away from violence toward peace. I thank you for embracing the idea that Palestinians and Israelis can actually share the land of our fathers together. I thank you for believing that the home of Islam and Judaism and Christianity can surely be the home of people who love one God and respect every life God has created. And I thank you for decades and decades and decades of tireless representation of the longing of the Palestinian people to be free, self-sufficient, and at home. Mr. Chairman, the microphone is yours. [Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority made remarks.]”