The 90th birthday of the oldest sitting head of state is surely a momentous and celebratory occasion. In the case of Shimon Peres, whose presidency of Israel caps a very long, complex and controversial political career, his 90th birthday is also an occasion for the humble recognition of the limits of instant biography.
As president of Israel, Peres has admirably served all the people and represented Israel abroad with dignity and eloquence. In the most difficult of circumstances, such as a public forum in Turkey after Turkey, in diplomatically brutal and ugly fashion, all but banished Israel from its radar screen, Peres stood tall, reminding his listeners that all people stand under the same sky. Not that his eloquence made a difference in the short run, but national dignity is its own reward, and Peres projected and embodied it.
In a nation beset with deep internal divisions of a religious and economic nature, Peres is a healer. If for no other reason but this, Peres’ special birthday is worth marking.
However, the idea that Peres’ entire political career is summed up in his presidency is uninformed and, indeed, impossible. A driven politician, motivated as much by jealousy of his talented peers as by the advancement of Israel, Peres’ full story awaits the biographer’s pen. Given the length and diversity of Peres’ service, his biographer will face a formidable challenge indeed. We take note of but two stops along Peres’ variegated career.
First, Peres’ shock at Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination was no doubt heartfelt. But it could cover the extraordinary competition between the two figures and, in particular, the jealousy coming from Peres’ side. Rabin outperformed Peres both in the military, in which Rabin led Israel to its amazing victory in the Six Day War, and in the diplomatic and political arenas, in which Rabin’s sterling performance as Israel’s ambassador to Washington and his overturning all precedents in reaching out to the Palestinians eclipsed anything Peres ever accomplished in these spheres. And it ate at Peres, ate at him constantly. It was not a pretty sight.
Second, and of much greater note, was Peres’ unique contribution to Israel’s security. It was primarily Peres who secured Israel’s nuclear capacity from France many decades ago. Truly visionary, Peres saw that deterrence would be a primary, perhaps the primary, element of Israel’s security. With stealth, cunning and great capacity, in the realms of intelligence and negotiation, Peres made sure that Israel would be qualitatively ahead of its enemies militarily.
We now need another Peres to figure out a way to put Iran’s nuclear pursuit to rest. But for one lifetime, whatever else may be said about Shimon Peres, we say, for his capacity to find a way to arm Israel with nuclear weapons — dayyenu. Thank you. Happy Birthday!
Copyright © 2013 by the Intermountain Jewish News
