Americans And Citizens Of The World Who Love Israel and Israelis Must Be Prepared To Defend Her As The Time Is Rapidly Coming When They Will Be Called Upon To Do So.

'WE MUST BE WILLING TO DEFEND ISRAEL AT ALL COST'

BY | APRIL 23, 2015 · 12:00 AM

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Author(s):  Shlomo Cesana, Gideon Allon, Yori Yalon, and Israel Hayom Staff
Source:  Israel Hayom.     Article date: April 22nd, 2015

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a ceremony marking Memorial Day in Jerusalem, Tuesday
(Photo credit: Reuters)

Israel on Wednesday marked the annual Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day, mourning and honoring its 23,320 fallen soldiers and victim of acts of terrorism with a series of services held nationwide, and ushered by a two-minute siren that sounded across Israel at 11 a.m.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is a bereaved brother himself — his brother, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu was the only Israeli soldier killed during 1976's Operation Entebbe in Uganda — spoke at the state service, held on Mount Herzl.

“For those of us personally familiar with this inferno, no other moment will ever be as shocking or as painful. We know this wound never really heals.

“Anyone who has lived through the anguish of bereavement and the terror of war, cannot relish war. When I have to decide whether or not to send our troops into battle, I think of every solider as if he were my son, of every family as it they were my family. But given no other choice, we have to be ready to engage in battle to defend our nation and our people. Only this unwavering willingness will deter war, or, if need be, decide its outcome.

“The State of Israel will continue to thrive only if we are willing to defend it at all cost,” Netanyahu continued. “We have to carry on the path our loved ones have paved, united… We are one family, Jews and our non-Jewish brothers — Druze, Muslims, Bedouins, and Christians. We are partners, for better or for worse, through the joy and the pain.”

Commenting on the stark segue from somber Memorial Day to the celebrations of Independence Day, Netanyahu said, “Tonight, when the light of Independence Day torches lights up the sky, we will feel profound gratitude to our fallen heroes, and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded, how have shielded is with their bodies.

“We will express our gratitude for all that we have been given, for the wonder of independence, the gift of freedom, the miracle of regeneration. May the memory of the fallen be blessed, and their lives forever linked with the eternity of Israel.”

Speaking later Wednesday at the state service honoring the victims of terrorism, Netanyahu said, “I do not know why the land of Israel must be earned with suffering, but we know it binds us to our nation with love.

“The heavy toll these bloody events have exacted has also made us stronger, turning us from a helpless people to a determined nation, one that counters its enemies' blows. We have always known that we have to ensure our moral superiority. Our advantage lies in our restraint, and with avoiding blind vengeance.”

Immeasurable pain

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke Wednesday at a Memorial Day service held at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv.

“This immeasurable pain is like no other and it known no relief. It is there every minute of every day.

“Even fallen soldier encompassed the world and the loss is agonizing. Our fallen sons and daughters will remain forever young, and the questions about where would they be today, remain relentless, only increasing over time.”

Ya'alon noted that “for 67 years, the State of Israel has been fighting against those who seek to harm us and unfortunately, we have had to pay a heavy price. We must forge on, up the mountain and to the top, as David Ben Gurion put it 61 years ago, but during this journey, we lose the best of the best.”

'We spare no effort to prevent the next war'

Memorial Day events were ushered in by a one-minute siren that sounded across Israel at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Speaking at a service held at Yad Labanim, in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said, “A proud nation bows its head today and lowers its flag in unrivaled gratitude in memory of our loved ones who perished — 23,320 soldiers in Israel's campaigns: Jews, Christians, Muslims, Bedouin, Druze and Circassians.

“The bonds that tie us to our land and our country are strong and eternal. We are among the few people with a connection to their homeland spanning thousands of years, and there is no other people torn from their land who defied the rules of history and returned to establish a national life in that land. Israel is the source of our life.

“The blood of our loved ones is soaked in its soil, and when the pain rises up and the torment of loss increases, we will take comfort in the fact that our sons and daughters fell during the most noble of missions: ensuring the existence of our nation,” the prime minister continued.

“I say the existence of our nation because the Jewish people have no future without the State of Israel — and it will have a future if we succeed in defending our country.

“On this day, on the day when our private grief is intertwined with the nation's pain, we salute the heroism of the fallen — and we will lovingly cherish their memory. We will also remember the wounded who defended us with their bodies, and we will wish them a speedy recovery and good health.”

Speaking of Israel's struggle for its secure existence, Netanyahu said, “Over the years of Israel's fight to return to its land and establish its sovereignty there, the battlefields have remained the same — only our enemies have change. But even as our enemies' threats to destroy our home — the State of Israel and that which preceded it — increase, so too our determination to defend our home increases. The spirit that lives in us has not weakened over the years, it only grows stronger.”

In a letter sent Tuesday to bereaved families, the prime minister wrote, “The pain tears through our hearts, grief stifles us, and the longing never lets go.

“On this day, the people of Israel bow their heads with respect and gratitude. The past year has seen the family of bereavement grow, as it was joined by the families of those killed in Operation Protective Edge. Unfortunately, the reality of the Middle East is such that we have to continue to fight for our place here, which cannot be held without this sacrifice.

“It is only because of this iron wall, whose every brick is held by our sons and daughters who serve in the Israel Defense Forces and Israel's security services, that we are able to live our lives, and raise our children and grandchildren.”

President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the state service held Tuesday evening at the Western Wall.

“Defending our existence is still at the core of our lives. Our commitment is to know that we spare no effort to prevent the next war. We are committed to go on living, for the sake of our loved ones who are gone, for the sake of our children here.

“Memorial Day is a day when we, all of us, come together in national mourning. On this day we open the floodgates of pain and longing; but we will be doing a disservice to our loved ones if this day focused solely on grief and pain,” the president said.

“It is the fate our sons and daughters that we mourn today. But at the same time we cannot stand over their graves if we cannot focus on the meaning of their sacrifice. Our commitment, to our sons and daughters, our grandchildren and our granddaughters, is to know that we are doing everything we can to prevent the next war.”

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who also spoke at the Yad Labanim service, said, “Let no one be fooled — we have won the battle but the war rages on. Let our enemies know, wherever they may be, neither missiles, nor terrorist attacks, nor terror tunnels will deter the people of Israel.”

Wednesday evening will see Memorial Day give way to Israel's 67th independence celebrations. Festivities will be ushered in with the official Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl.