Peres: Be on the right side, our side
Remembrance Day ceremony held at Western Wall as nation observes minute-long silence in honor of 22,570 fallen. 'We don't want war, but if war is forced on us, I suggest to our friends and enemies to be on the right side, on the side that has always won and will always win,' president says in opening address
The ceremony marking the commencement of Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism began Monday evening as the wail of the siren accompanying the nationally observed minute-long silence faded. The ceremony, held by the Western Wall, was attended by President Shimon Peres and IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.
On the eve of Remembrance Day the number of fallen soldiers and civilians since the year 1860 stands at 22,570. Over the course of the past year 133 were killed.
President Peres delivered the opening address. "We do not want war, but if war is forced on us, I suggest to our friends and enemies, as one, to be on the right side, on our side, on the side that has always won and will always win," he said.
"For 61 years now we have been burying our children and there is no end in sight. This year still, our existence is under threat. From near and far they rise to destroy us – and to their astonishment, we are not frightened, we are not running away from the fight," Peres said.
Soldiers by the Western Wall this evening (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Peres asked to address the bereaved families, saying: "The Hebrew language has yet to find the right words to ease the pain in your eyes, the ache in your heart that you carry. The words may come from the heart, and maybe they even go into the heart, but they are just words. And you go back home and the words do not bring your dear son, your wonderful daughter, home. We wish you would find comfort in the knowledge that an entire people, an entire nation, sees itself as sharing your tragedy."
'We still live by the sword'
Peres was followed by Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi. "Here, standing opposite the rows of stone that form the Western Wall, beats the heart of the Jewish people, the answer to the prayers of the entire nation for thousands for years. I stand here and beside me stand all the IDF's regular and reserve soldiers, and we salute our friends who gave their lives so that tomorrow we can all celebrate another year of independence.
"We are a nation accustomed to struggle, a nation that must still live by its sword and that knows all too well the bitter taste of loss and longing," Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi said.
Earlier in the day at a memorial service held in Jerusalem held on Ammunition Hill, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Our existence as a nation and country depends on our unity." He vowed that the government would spare no effort to "track down the missing Israeli soldiers and bring kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit home.
Addressing the bereaved families who attended the ceremony, Netanyahu said "the battlefields of Israel's ongoing war, in which the protectors of the land have fallen, are scattered throughout the country and its borders. It did not help those who hate Israel. The State of Israel triumphed.
"The price we have paid and are still paying is unbearable, I know," the PM said. "My family has also been struck by bereavement; your sorrow is my sorrow. I feel the pain deep in my heart and carry with me the memory, the yearning and the burden of the loss."
The formal state ceremony will be held on Tuesday at 11:00 am at the Mt. Herzl military cemetery. The ceremony will start with the a two-minute silence, sirens will sound throughout the country. Memorial ceremonies will be held in all the military ceremonies. At 1:00 pm a state ceremony honoring the victims of terror attacks will be held at Mt. Herzl.
