Benjamin Netanyahu to families of IDF fallen: ‘I am one of you’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the state ceremony for Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars held at Israel’s Mt. Herzl national military cemetery in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Netanyahu opened his remarks by speaking of how he himself is the brother of a fallen soldier. His older brother Yonatan Netanyahu was the lone IDF soldier killed on July 4, 1976, when Israeli commandos rescued Israelis held hostage by Arab terrorists at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Speaks on Memorial Day
“I am one of you, a part of the family of bereavement,” he said. “I am familiar with the grief and sorrow, the pride and the sense of longing. And I am familiar with our desire, the desire of the families, to commemorate our loved ones who sacrificed their lives for us, for our country and for our nation.”
‘Ahi [my brother], a Hero’ is the name given to the commemoration initiative for Bar Falah. ‘Ahi, a Hero’ was established to instil Bar’s values among Israel’s youth: His love for Israel, his generosity towards his nation and his fearlessness in his military service. ‘Ahi, a Hero’: Brotherhood and courage. This year, more than ever, as we remember our fallen heroes, we remember that we are all brothers: Jews, Druze, Muslims, Bedouin, Christians, Circassians. Brothers in service, brothers in arms, blood brothers.
The Prime Minister served in the same “Sayeret Matkal” (the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit under the direct command of the IDF Chief of Staff) Special Forces unit as his brother did.
As a fighter and commander in the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, I lost brothers in arms,” he said, recounting the names of Zohar Linik from Yehud, Chaim Ben-Yona from Kibbutz Yechiam, and David Ben-Hamo from Be’er Sheba, who died in my arms.”
“I was moved to see Major-General Yossi Ben Hanan,” he added, “an Israeli hero who received the Medal of Courage, next to my brother’s grave yesterday. Fifty years ago, in the Yom Kippur war, Yoni rescued Yossi, who had been left injured at the site of battle on the Golan Heights, by the Syrian post at Tel Shams. Yoni received a Medal for Distinguished Service for this. Yossi came to my brother’s grave yesterday with his daughter, whom he named Yoni. ‘I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan; you were most dear to me.’
Netanyahu went on to say that all of Israel’s families mourn over the nation’s fallen beloved ones and quoted a verse from the Psalms that reads, “’I am racked with grief.”
“Each family suffers in its own way,” he said. “But the support of the nation gives us the strength to seize life, to move on from the loss of brothers and sons. And the bereaved families on their part, strengthen the spirit of the nation with their fortitude.”
“This spirit has been accompanying us for the 75 years of our independence, and it has no expression more painful, more exalted, than the horrific story of the Lichtenstein family,” added Netanyahu. “Their three sons, three brothers, fell in Israel’s wars. The oldest son, Yaakov, escorted convoys bringing supplies to Jerusalem, which was under siege in the War of Independence. He was killed in the Mount of Olives nine days before the State of Israel was established. The second son, Avner, also fell in the War of Independence on the Armon HaNatziv front. Their third son, Eli, fought in the Six Day War, but a year later, on his way home from reserve duty on the Golan Heights, he was killed in a car accident. The three brothers where the grandsons of Ze’ev Elimelech Lichtenstein, who was murdered in the 1929 Hebron Massacre.”
He spoke about the family’s courage in the face of their grief, saying, “This courage is what has enabled us to vanquish our enemies through the ages and the ability to continue building our country.”
He then quoted Chaim Nachman Bialik – Israel’s national author – who wrote, “There was a man, and see, he is no more.”
“But for us,” said the Prime Minister, “for the families, the fallen are with us always. They live within us; they live on in the heart of the nation. And we all live thanks to them.”
“This is the true spirit of our nation,” he declared. “We will stand together as brothers and bring back our brothers Oron. Hadar, Avera and Hisham. We will stand together as brothers and guarantee our independence from generation to generation. We will stand as brothers and bow our heads in unending gratitude for the courage of the fallen and the resilience of their families.”
“May the sacred memory of our brothers and sisters, the beloved heroes, be cherished in the heart of the nation forever.”
Pesach Benson adds:
Israelis marked Memorial Day on Tuesday with a minute of silence and visits to military cemeteries amid amid pleas for national unity and the day passed without major disruptions.
Tension were high with Israeli society sharply divided over a controversial government initiative to overhaul the judicial system. A number of government ministers cancelled plans to participate in traditional services at the nation’s military cemeteries. And protest leaders said they would not block roads sor prevent bereaved families from visiting graves.
But tempers flared in several cemeteries. In the Druze village of Isfiya, Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel was blocked by locals from entering the cemetery. Unable to give her speech, Gamliel returned later to quietly lay a wreath. In a Tel Aviv cemetery, Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis opted not to speak.
In Beersheva, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke despite heavy criticism. Security was tight and the placement of barriers made a number of graves inaccessible.
Memorial Day honours deceased members of the IDF, Israel Police, Mossad, Israeli Prison Service and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). This includes Jewish, Druze, Bedouin, Christian, and Muslim personnel. The day also honours civilians killed in terror attacks and other hostile acts.
Since last Memorial Day, 31 civilians and 59 soldiers have been killed, while another 86 veterans died of complications from injuries suffered during military service, according to figures released by the Defense Ministry and National Insurance Institute.
Overall, 24,213 people have died during service to the country since 1860, when Jews first began moving outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. This includes members of various pre-state underground militias who fought the British.
The number of civilians killed stands at 4,255, including 740 children and teenagers 18-years-old or younger. The number also includes 120 Israelis killed abroad and 135 foreign citizens killed in terror attacks.
On Tuesday night, the country transitions from Memorial Day to the more joyous Independence Day with a torch-lighting ceremony and fireworks. This year, Israel is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
