PM Netanyahu's Address to the State Ceremony for Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars
Israel - Prime Minister's Office
Events and Speeches
The 37th Government
13.05.2024
Following is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address, today , to the state ceremony for Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars:
"Distinguished guests, first and foremost my brothers and sisters in the family of bereavement—a family that includes Jews, Druze, Christians, Muslims, Bedouins and Circassians, my family,
'I miss you like a flower thirsts for water' - that is what Ashira Greenberg said at the funeral of her husband, the late Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg. Tomer was the commander of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion. He fell in battle in the Gaza Strip while leading his soldiers. Amitai Zvi, an officer in the Armored Corps, fell in battle on the northern border. His father, Rabbi Tamir Granot, added to Ashira's words, 'The candle has been extinguished, the pain burns, but the light remains, and it will grow.' The pain is everywhere, but so is the light.
During the shivah for Cpt. Rotem Yosef Levy, from the Combat Engineering Corps, who also fell in battle, one of his soldiers said, 'During the fighting, I couldn't get the glow stick to work. I told Rotem, 'Enough! How much longer can we put up with this? Everything here is dark.' Rotem calmly answered, in the middle of fighting, 'Look back. You see Kibbutz Nir Oz? That is our light. That is what we are fighting for.'
Everyone who has fought in defense of the country, everyone who has crossed the border into enemy territory, is familiar with this light: The light of our home that instills in us perseverance. It is the light of 25,000 soldiers who fell in Israel's wars that illuminates our way.
At the beginning of the current war, which began with the horrific massacre, we witnessed countless acts of sacrifice, stories of bravery and expressions of mutual responsibility that will be remembered for generations: by IDF units; by civil emergency teams; by the Israel Police, by the Israeli Security Agency; by the Fire and Rescue Authority; by emergency medical crews; and by regular citizens. All demonstrated incredible courage as they defended our home. Our national home still stands, the country is still standing, and it is standing thanks to them - but at the same time, the pain is excruciating and heartbreaking.
Dear families, our loved ones who fell in battle - and every battle in Israel is a battle for our survival - represent eternal values: love of humankind and our nation, love of country, a willingness to make sacrifices, faith in the justice of our cause.
This is exactly what the war is about: It's us or them - Israel or the monsters of Hamas. It's existence, freedom, security and prosperity; or annihilation, massacre, rape and enslavement. We are determined to win this fight. We are exacting and will continue to exact a heavy price from the enemy for their criminal actions.
We will realize our goals of victory, foremost among them returning all our hostages home, a victory that, God willing, will ensure our existence and our future. But the price we are paying and that generations before us paid is heavy.
A mother who lost her beloved son, a father burying his child, a sibling who lost a limb, children who became orphans in a moment, women whose loving partners will never return. Is there a balm for the pain that cuts into living flesh? The real answer is no, there is none. There is life, but the wound remains open as long as we are alive.
Last week I met with Tami Shelach and IDF widows and orphans, as I do every year. The children spoke of their fallen fathers, and the profound sadness and grief was clear on their faces. It is doubtful that it will ever go away. And when it was his turn to speak, one child burst into bitter tears and left the room. And his brother, who is also very young, followed him out in order to hug him. We all sat in silence, crying along with them.
The void inside us, the longing, the sense that the sun has gone down - that never really goes away. Even after decades of tears that choke your throat. That is on the personal level. But is there a cure for the pain on a national level? The answer to that is: Yes. It lies in the goal for which our heroes fell: ensuring the existence of the State of Israel, ensuring the eternity of Israel.
With all the pain and the grief, we changed the fate of our people when the state was established. Beforehand, for many long generations, we could not defend ourselves against those who sought to destroy us. But today, today we hold the Sword of David in our hands, and we fight back against our enemies. The unity of our people and the embrace of the nation are the source of our strength, alongside appreciating the significance of our fight at this historic moment.
Our War of Independence is still not over. It is still being fought today. I was moved when I watched the video made by the veterans of the 1948 war for the current generation of fighters. Those veterans, some of whom are nearly 100 years old, said to our young heroes that they remind them of themselves, remind them of the eagerness, the total commitment to defending the country in times of trial.
The late Sgt. Ilai Tzair from the Egoz commando unit, who fell in battle, exemplified this commitment with every fiber of his being. Ilai wrote in his journal, which was found after his death, 'I am defending the people of Israel, the State of Israel, with my body despite the hardships and pain. All of that is nothing given the privilege to choose every day to be a fighter in the Israel Defense Forces, the dawn of our deliverance. Ilai's parents, Erez and Yaffa Tzair, had a postcard printed in his memory at the Kibbutz Beeri printshop. Yesterday, they sent one to me and added their own words on it: 'Please keep fighting our enemy and do not listen to anyone trying to stop us from safeguarding our people. We are a strong nation. 'Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant.' On the other side of the postcard, alongside a picture of the late Ilai, were the words, 'Our light cannot be extinguished.'
The pain is everywhere, but so is the light. The torch of our national existence, which shines bright, cannot be extinguished. We hold it together, as our soldiers and commanders in this fateful campaign stand together. Because only together will we be victorious.
I wish all those wounded in the campaign a full recovery. Your rehabilitation is the fight after the battle. When I visit the severely wounded in the hospitals, I am in profound awe of their strong spirits. A fighter who lost both legs from the hip said to me, 'It's important for us to know that we are going to beat them, not to give up. Keep going until the end, until we win.'
This is an accurate and distilled representation of the spirits of our fallen heroes: faith in the justice of our cause, determination in the fight and perseverance until victory. As Sarit Zussman, mother of Ben Zussman who fell in the Gaza Strip, said, 'Our story will have a happy ending. We will win!'
Together, we will remember our fallen.
Together, we will fight.
And with G-d's help, Sarit, together, we will win.
May the memories of the fallen soldiers of Israel's campaigns be treasured for generations."
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