In ‘seminal moment,’ Obama meets, reminisces and jokes with Yitzhak Rabin’s family

US President Barack Obama lauded the legacy of an Israeli leader who he never met on Friday, kicking off the final day of his trip to Israel by paying his respects at Yitzhak Rabin’s grave on Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl.

Obama was greeted at the gravesite by members of Rabin’s family, including his daughter Dalia, his son Yuval, and his granddaughter Noa, who captured the word’s attention after the prime minister’s 1995 assassination with an emotional speech at his funeral.

The US president initially placed a stone on Rabin’s wife’s Leah’s side of the grave, then returned to place one atop Rabin’s side. In a gesture linking the US and Israel, the stone placed on Rabin’s grave was from the grounds of the Martin Luther King memorial in Washington, DC, the White House said.

The visit to the grave seemed heavily symbolic, serving to emphasize the message from Obama’s speech to Israeli students on Thursday: This Israel — the Israel of Rabin and President Shimon Peres — is the one he wants to see, an Israel willing to take risks for peace.

Obama spent a moment beside the grave, followed by Peres, Rabin’s ally and rival-turned-partner, and Netanyahu, who was one of Rabin’s fiercest critics.

Afterwards, there were hugs, handshakes and laughter with Rabin’s children and grandchildren. Obama spoke to the bereaved about Rabin’s legacy, and the “strength” that is required to push for peace. He said he derived much of the inspiration for his speech yesterday from Rabin, and called him “a great man.”

Obama joked that “Bibi arranged for perfect weather,” using Netanyahu’s familiar name. He added that “Shimon plied me with wine” at the official state dinner Thursday evening. At one point the talk turned to the singer who performed at the dinner, and Obama pointed out that he was known to sing, too. “They had me on YouTube,” he said with a laugh. “Check it out — Obama singing Al Green.”

Dalia Rabin Philosoph, Rabin’s daughter and a former Knesset member, told Ynet that, for her, the most memorable moment was when she and her family were standing in line and saw the US president approaching them.

“There was great excitement and a lot of media and it was almost a seminal moment for me,” she said. “We all hope that Obama will be successful in his intention to bring peace, although we know that it will not be easy,” she added.

Matti Friedman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.