Photo by GPO

Families of Victims of Terror,
Distinguished Guests,

On this day, the Day of Remembrance for the Fallen Soldiers in Israel’s Campaigns, the nation lowers the flag in sacred memory of the fighters who fell for the rebirth and defense of Israel, and at the same time, commemorates the precious memory of those citizens who were killed by the enemy in acts of animosity, terror and murder.

In but a few hours, after the sun sets, the flags of our nation will be raised and flap at full mast, and the State of Israel will celebrate its 59th Independence Day.  We will not begin this celebration before we all join together today – one heart – with the pain of bereavement.  It is only through the depths of sorrow and from identifying ourselves with the sadness of loss which has no equal that we will know to appreciate fully the gift of freedom and sovereignty which we attained.  We will cherish the State of Israel as the accomplishment of its daughters and sons, soldiers and civilians, victims of hatred and passion for the sword, and as the country of their lives and their deaths.

The struggle against Arab terror has accompanied the Zionist enterprise from its very inception until today.  The opposition, the animosity, the wars and the terror have continued for over 100 years; they never stopped nor slowed down the march of Zionism and the State of Israel.  We pursed our lips, clenched our fists and fought back – and continued building and growing; strengthening our defensive forces; absorbing large waves of immigration from East and West; established a prosperous economy, a diverse, free and vibrant democratic society, medical centers, culture and science which place Israel in many fields at the forefront of humanity in the entire world.  The cost was the lives of citizens, not only soldiers – a price which is heavy and without measure.  The murderous lust of the terror organizations has reached unprecedented lows of vileness, desecrated humanity.  They set a goal of racist extermination of every Israeli and Jew around the world, from babies to old people.  They promoted themselves through crowd-pleasing events and distributing candy on the streets after every unthwarted terror attack, and killed innocent Israeli passersby.  And as the killing increased, so too did their jubilation.  The parents of despicable murderers expressed open joy that their sons and daughters blew themselves up and pointlessly took the lives of innocent citizens, with terrible moral blindness and the madness of hatred and brainwashing.  This is the image of the enemy we are fighting.  However, let us have no illusions regarding its path and intentions.  They also kill their brothers and countrymen without mercy and without even blinking.  Therefore, our war against the terror organizations is ongoing, determined and resolved, uncompromising, without respite, until defeat.  Those neighbors who desire peace with us – we will respect, and will talk to them about political settlements and the future of the relations between us, out of good will and willingness to make painful concessions.  However, the murderous terrorists who wish to kill us, who deny the existence of the State of Israel and seek to destroy it, as long as this is their nefarious path and these are their goals, we will not stop chasing them and striking until their end.

Photo by GPO

The campaign against terror places several difficult moral and security dilemmas before us – the cruel reality of dealing with the terror organizations, the abyss between us regarding attitudes towards human life, past and current damnably difficult choices needing to be made by Prime Ministers in Israel between conflicting values and considerations.  So, too, is it with regard to the matter of our soldiers who are in the hands of the enemy.  The fate and distress of their families is always in my heart and consciousness, as it is in the hearts of the entire nation; the obligation to do everything to bring them home as soon as possible is my sacred duty to every citizen, and specifically every soldier; and the mitzvah of redeeming the hostages is ingrained in the heritage of Israel and in the previous decisions of Governments of Israel.  Conversely, is the duty which is no less important – to take a firm and uncompromising stand against terror organizations; exert the full force of the law against base murderers whose hands are stained with blood; prevent, at any cost, the terror organizations from kidnapping, thereby bypassing the punishment imposed by the courts on murderous terrorists; and never to repeat the mistakes made in the past, the result of which was an increase in terrorism and the return of released terrorists to acts of terror, which took the lives of many Israeli citizens.  And I will add that, in the range of heavy and agonizing considerations involved, there is, of course, an honorable place for consideration of your feelings and those of the bereaved families, the victims of acts of hatred and terror.

At the end of the day, there will be no escape from making this difficult decision – and there is no harder decision than a decision on this painful issue.  I am certain that a warm and sensitive heart, and clear and thorough discretion, will guide me and the Government at the hour of decision.

Dear Families,

I know that there are no words which will ease your grief, there is no compensation for the life which was cut off by terror, there is no comfort for the loving soul which was felled maliciously by the murderous enemy.  Therefore, on behalf of the entire nation, I reach out to you with an embracing hand, with a sincere feeling of grief and common destiny.  And I will pray “that you be healed of heartbreak and that your sadness be eased” and that there will be a remedy for your pain and that you will know no more sorrow.

May your loved ones, the good and loyal citizens of the State of Israel, victims of acts of terror, be engraved forever in the heart of the nation together with the fallen soldiers of Israel’s campaigns.

May their souls be forever bound to our lives.  Amen.