Shimon Peres and former U.S. President Clinton spoke at the inaugural event of the World Leaders Forum at a Toronto hotel. With some 250 participants paying $3,000 a plate, the two celebrities spoke of the need to "privatize" peace. "More than ever before," Clinton said, "private citizens have it within their power, no matter what their means, to help [bring world peace]."
Peres said, "Today private business is as interested in foreign affairs as the past governments were. [The governments] are more concerned with the domestic situation, and private business is concerned very much with the global situation."
The funds were raised to benefit Ontario's Pine River Institute (a boarding school for teen substance abusers) and Israel's Nano Technology Research.
Peres explained that Israel's first choice, in its relationship with the Palestinian Authority, "is to proceed by negotiation, and only if this fails and we are left without a choice should we proceed in a unilateral way. Unilateralism is not an ideology, it is a last alternative."
Disregarding the Jewish People's national, historic and spiritual ties with the Land of Israel, Peres said, "We are trying to get rid of the occupation because occupation stands against everything we stand for. But at the same time we have to defend our lives, and this is the contradiction."
Overlooking the thousands of deaths and the tragic political results of the Olso process he initiated, Peres said that for peace, "you must be prepared to be generous, to be forthcoming."
Peres ended his speech by saying, "Since optimists and pessimists are dying the same way, we might as well live as optimists."
During the coming months, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that he will seek peace-by-agreement with the Palestinian Authority. However, there appears to be no one in the PA with whom he is willing to talk. Hamas is ruled out as a partner because of its stated desire to destroy Israel, while Fatah - led by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) - is viewed as ineffectual. As Peres said, "We will gladly talk with him [Abbas] ... but the problem is, will his agreements be respected by the Hamas government?"
Peres said, "Today private business is as interested in foreign affairs as the past governments were. [The governments] are more concerned with the domestic situation, and private business is concerned very much with the global situation."
The funds were raised to benefit Ontario's Pine River Institute (a boarding school for teen substance abusers) and Israel's Nano Technology Research.
Peres explained that Israel's first choice, in its relationship with the Palestinian Authority, "is to proceed by negotiation, and only if this fails and we are left without a choice should we proceed in a unilateral way. Unilateralism is not an ideology, it is a last alternative."
Disregarding the Jewish People's national, historic and spiritual ties with the Land of Israel, Peres said, "We are trying to get rid of the occupation because occupation stands against everything we stand for. But at the same time we have to defend our lives, and this is the contradiction."
Overlooking the thousands of deaths and the tragic political results of the Olso process he initiated, Peres said that for peace, "you must be prepared to be generous, to be forthcoming."
Peres ended his speech by saying, "Since optimists and pessimists are dying the same way, we might as well live as optimists."
During the coming months, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that he will seek peace-by-agreement with the Palestinian Authority. However, there appears to be no one in the PA with whom he is willing to talk. Hamas is ruled out as a partner because of its stated desire to destroy Israel, while Fatah - led by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) - is viewed as ineffectual. As Peres said, "We will gladly talk with him [Abbas] ... but the problem is, will his agreements be respected by the Hamas government?"