Ministers and Members of Knesset took part in an official goodbye ceremony for MK Yossi Beilin on Monday night. Beilin, who has spent more than 30 years in politics, announced last week that he was stepping down.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert jokingly told Beilin he was “irritating,” explaining, “You speak quietly, but are heard everywhere. You are certainly calm when you're seen, but you manage to arouse arguments and commotions around you... is that not irritating?”
Olmert said that over the years, his own opinions had moved closer to those held by Beilin: “Whenever he annoyed me, I thought he was wrong, and in the end I had to change my stance more often than he did. There are still things we do not agree on... the gaps are still great... but they are much smaller, and not because he changed his mind.”
Labor party head Ehud Barak praised Beilin for his role in talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. “Your contribution to the peace accords and political accords is only fully understood by those who were involved in the process 'on the inside,'” he said. Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik praised Beilin as well, and called his retirement “a nightmare.”
Opposition head Binyamin Netanyahu of the Likud spoke in Beilin's honor as well. Netanyahu refrained from praising Beilin's political initiatives, but spoke warmly of his personal traits, saying, “You represent something we should all aspire to, political honesty and the ability to go against the grain.” Netanyahu complimented Beilin for being “committed to achieving peace according to your worldview.”
Beilin spoke as well, and urged those present to make a deal with the PA as quickly as possible. “I live with a constant feeling that time is running away from us,” he said. As time goes on, Israel's chances of obtaining a favorable peace deal diminish, he said.
He praised his successor, Dr. Tzvia Greenfield, who will take his place on Tuesday. “I did not leave because of Tzvia Greenfield... but it's easier for me knowing that she will take my place,” he said.
Beilin began his political career in Labor, and remained with the party until 2003, when he left to join Meretz. He served as the chairman of Meretz until early 2008. Beilin is known for his involvement in negotiations with Israel's enemies and with the PA. He took an active role in the Oslo accords, and more recently created the extra-governmental Geneva Accord along with other left-wing Israeli politicians and activists. He strongly supported giving territory to the PA.