Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Quebecois, I want to mark a sad event, namely the assassination a year ago of Israel's Prime Minister, Mr. Rabin, who was killed on November 4, 1995.
A winner of the Nobel peace prize, Mr. Rabin believed in the reconciliation of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and he worked hard to find ways to bring them closer to each other.
Despite his violent death, everyone hoped that the efforts to implement the peace plan in that region would be pursued. Unfortunately, we now fear the worse. Indeed, the behaviour of Mr. Rabin's successor at the head of the state of Israeli makes us wonder.
Today, on this sad anniversary, we can only hope that the values promoted through the peace process put forth by Messrs. Rabin and Arafat will prevail over the radicals that scorn democratic values and condone violence.
Today, the hope for a lasting peace must be revived by Mr. Rabin's memory.