Thank you Peter Lefkin very much for that very kind introduction. I am very honored to be here with Senator Norman Coleman from Minnesota and House Majority Whip Representative Roy Blunt from Missouri, and, of course, my good friend and colleague Wolfgang Ischinger, the Ambassador of Germany. Thank you. It is good to see all of you here; it is certainly uplifting and heartwarming. I am sure you have all noticed the sign of the exhibition with the Islamic half crescent, the Jewish Star of David and the Christian Cross. It is inspirational, it is powerful, and it is uplifting. I certainly would like to thank very much my fellow Israeli, Raphie Etgar, for his leadership, his dedication, and his hard work. And thanks to Allianz, the insurance company from Germany, and for the work of so many artists from the universal community, from so many countries and nationalities. The message here today is one of coexistence. I can tell you that we in Israel believe in coexistence in every fabric of our being, to the very core of our being. Not because coexistence is so noble, but it is, not only because it is the decent thing to do, not only because it is the pragmatic thing to do. This is true if we are to live together on this planet in security, dignity, and justice.


Our country existence is challenged, yet we have achieved coexistence in our own society, which is multiethnic and very pluralistic. We are a small country of only six and a half million people, of which one million are Arab citizens and they live very well with us. We have also achieved peaceful relations with two of our former adversaries who are good friends and neighbors now, Jordan and Egypt. And we certainly look forward to coexistence and peace with the rest of our neighbors, first and foremost, the Palestinians. I said that the existence of our country is challenged. It is challenged on a daily basis. Today our existence was challenged in Jerusalem when a suicide bomber exploded herself. Two Israelis were killed and many were injured. The list goes on and on. But I promise you here, I believe this is the right place to do it, we will not tire and we will not fail to exhaust every opportunity to achieve peace with the Palestinians and with all our neighbors in the Middle East. I think it is incumbent upon us to do this. For Israel it is not just a strategic option, it is a moral obligation. Just as we have achieved peace with former enemies, Egypt and Jordan, so we will achieve peace with the Palestinians once they have leadership that is trustworthy and committed to peace. We are willing to make painful compromises, we hope they will too and we will achieve peace. With the work and the promotion of artists here today, I am sure we can make peace more attainable.


Thank you very much for coming and enjoy the exhibits