Excerpt from PM Netanyahu's Knesset Speech on the Occasion of the Swearing-in of the National Emergency Government
Israel - Prime Minister's Office
The 37th Government
12.10.2023
Updated date: 13.10.2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the Knesset this evening :
"I have just come from the IDF 98th Division. This is one of the IDF elite units. On the way, on the road leading to the base, I saw a very long row of cars, not on the road but on the shoulders. The cars were parked there by the reservists, many of whom were not even called up, they called themselves up. 130% turnout, the officer responsible told me. I went into the base, to the small and crowded command center, with screens featuring maps of the Gaza Strip.
I met there with the division commander, who had fire in his eyes, level-headedness and a burning fighting spirit together. He and his officers were sitting there and they told me what they were going through. They reported to the base, geared up, went out immediately, some in their private cars. They reached the communities in the area around the Gaza Strip, were hit, their comrades fell but they continued to fight. More of their comrades fell but they continued to fight. They stormed the enemy, eliminated them but sometimes were eliminated. The stories of their heroism are simply amazing.
From the depths of our hearts, we embrace the families who have lost loved ones, the families of the victims, of the fallen, of the murdered and, of course, the families of the abducted. The pain is so great that sometimes it seems that it is too heavy to bear and the grief is also very heavy. It is felt in every home. To all of the families, we send a loving embrace and heartfelt support. I receive regular updates from the person I appointed to be responsible on the issue of the abductees, Brig.-Gen. (Ret.) Gal Hirsch, who is in constant contact with the families. We will not slacken in the effort to bring them back home. At the same time, we are united in the same great determination against the abhorrent and murderous enemy.
Our marvelous soldiers, conscripts and reservists, came out in vast numbers, many from overseas in packed planes because they understand that this is the moment of truth. This truly is a war over home and it must end with one thing - complete victory and the smashing and elimination of Hamas.
Hamas is ISIS and the world that was outraged by ISIS and Al-Qaida after 9/11, formed an international coalition to eliminate this blight. Nobody said 'Let's meet with the representatives of ISIS or Al-Qaida. Nobody said 'Let's give them an office in our country.' Therefore, I said today - there is no such office and if there are countries that maintain their presence, get rid of them, vomit them out of the countries of the world. Vomit them out. Whoever does not do this, sanction them. This is the outward message of the force - the joint stand that I see here in this house, of the leadership of the state and of the people, and it shows our enemies that there is no fragmentation among us, no fissures, no weakness, but rather, the exact opposite.
MKs, citizens of Israel, our people is among the world's oldest. During the thousands of years of our existence we have met countless challenges. We have known suffering. We have known pain more than any other people but we never surrendered. Strength of will and endurance are synonyms for the Jewish people. We will also meet this current test, even though it is almost too difficult to bear. The Shabbat of the 7th of October will be etched as a cursed and dark day in the annals of nations. For us, the Jewish people, it is the most harrowing day since the Holocaust.
But we are not in the Warsaw Ghetto. We are planted deep in the soil of our homeland, the soil of Israel. But the lessons of the Warsaw Ghetto 80 years ago are etched in our national memory. Against the enemy who sought to annihilate, kill and destroy, two competing Jewish organizations, one from the left and one from the right, did not see fit to unite at the moment of truth. Each one insisted on acting alone. The end is well-known. It could be that this end was inevitable but they did not have to reach it that way.
Today, we are facing the same enemy. I have always said and reiterated every time there was a terrorist attack or a murder perpetrated by Hamas or one of the other organizations, I said this when the family was murdered in their car or a bus was blown up, I said - this individual case teaches a general rule. If they could, they would murder all of us. Then the intentions and the enemy were the same. But today, against the enemy, with the ancient command 'Remember what Amalek did to you' ringing in our ears, today we are uniting forces in order to ensure the eternity of Israel.
We have a strong country, a strong government, a strong people and a strong military with a sense of mission and a clinging to that mission, both on the frontline and on the home front. We have faith in our path. We will find these accursed murders, these human beasts, with full force and we will defeat them. We will wipe them off the face of the earth. The time will come when we will rebuild the destroyed communities. We will rebuild the area around the Gaza Strip and we will restore it as a flourishing and prosperous area.
On your behalf, of each and every one of you, I would like to stand by our soldiers, our police officers and those serving in the security, rescue and medical forces, the endless volunteers, and I commend you, wonderful citizens of Israel. You move me, you move us all, with your genuine love for our soldiers and your acts of heroism and loving-kindness.
My friends, difficult days await us but we will not be deterred and we will not give in. The sword of David has been pulled from the scabbard and the bow of Jonathan will not go back. I am certain that from the 'Swords of Iron" war, we will emerge stronger than ever. As Proverbs 27:17 tells us: 'Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.'
Together, with G-d's help, we will ensure the complete victory."
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