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Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Speech at the Jerusalem Day Ceremony at Ammunition Hill. |
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| 19/05/2004 |
On the 26th day of Iyar, 5727, 37 years ago, at the conclusion of a nerve-racking waiting period, we set out to break the ring of siege and strangulation which tightened around the State of Israel.
Enemy armies were prepared for battle n the various fronts, and the arrogance of their leaders assured them that the fate of the Jewish State was sealed.
Israel did not seek war. Its Government sought out every crack to secure, by peaceful means, the freedom to sail through the Straits of Tiran, and to bring about the dispersal of the concentrations of hostile forces on its borders. Only after the failure of all attempts to resolve the crisis by diplomatic means did the Government order the IDF to go into battle.
The crown jewel of the Six-Day War was Jerusalem. Jerusalem has been engraved in the soul of the Jewish people ever since David established his capital here over 3000 years ago, and since Solomon built the first Temple on Mount Moriah. The oath of the exiles on the Rivers of Babylon If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its cunning will forever be scorched in the heart of every Jew. From generation to generation, Jerusalem was in our prayers throughout the Diaspora, on workdays and holidays, and in countless songs of yearning, desire and love.
The Jews have never abandoned Jerusalem. Even when forcefully kept away by enemies, they exploited every opportunity to enter its gates and, immediately after the decree was lifted, they again took hold of their city.
In 1948, the bravery of its warriors prevailed in battle within and en route to the besieged and embattled Jerusalem, but it was not within our power to liberate the entire city at that time. For 19 long years, we were cut off from the sacred Jewish places beyond the wall: from the Temple Mount, from the Western Wall, from the Mount of Olives and from the Jewish Quarter.
For 19 long years, from the Abu-Tor outpost or from Mount Zion, we gazed at the Old City. We gazed and we longed. We gazed and we yearned. We gazed and we hoped.
The great honor to redeem Jerusalem eventually fell to Major-General Uzi Narkiss and the fighters of the Central Command who were assigned the mission: soldiers from the reserve Paratrooper Brigade under the command of Motta Gur. I knew many of them, many them were my own cadets and soldiers; the Jerusalem Brigade under the command of Eliezer Amitai; the Harel Brigade under the command of Uri Ben-Ari; and the pilots of the Air Force under the command of Mordechai Hod. Here in this national park surrounding us lay the most difficult battlefield, the valiant battle of the Paratroopers. Here, following a night of battle, a new dawn burst forth for Jerusalem. A dawn of redemption.
The fighting was also fierce in other theaters of the war, and the IDF won tremendous victories, but it was the news of Jerusalem's liberation which captured hearts and gave the entire war its profound historic significance in the annals of Jewish history.
Here among you, I have seen quite a few of my comrades who commanded units in the same war on various fronts.
Today, as we will elevate Jerusalem above our foremost joy, we cherish with pride, sorrow and gratitude its fallen: the heroes, those faithful to Jerusalem until their last breaths, and all the fallen of the various battlefields. To the bereaved families, as is the Jewish custom, we say with a loving heart: may G-d comfort you, "and may you find comfort in Jerusalem".
As a young platoon commander, I fought in the battle to lift the siege on Jerusalem. At the time, I did not believe that 56 years would pass and the battle for Jerusalem would still not be over, but, unfortunately, the battle for Jerusalem continues even today. Those who seek its demise still plot to harm its inhabitants, to sever the unbreakable lind between us and Jerusalem.
We stand against them, remaining on guard.
"Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, have I posted guardians; all the day and all the night" the prophet Isaiah said 2,700 years ago. We take this upon ourselves as an eternal oath: we the Jewish people, we the Israel Defense Forces, we the Government of Israel we the Guardians of Jerusalem.
We will continue to develop Jerusalem for the benefit of its residents and those around the world who love it; we will build its neighborhoods, we will praise and glorify its beauty, and protect and defend it against every enemy and foe.
United Jerusalem, the heart of the nation, returned to the embrace of the Jewish people who coronated it in ancient times with a crown of sanctity and royalty, swearing an oath of love and devotion. The one Jerusalem which has been joined together with the State of Israel, and will never be separated again.
The eternal city for the eternal people for eternity!
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