Netanyahu: We're committed to bringing Shalit home
Speaking at Independence Day ceremony honoring past and president IDF commanders, PM says 'soldiers know we will spare no effort to bring them home safe and sound'
"We are obligated to return (kidnapped IDF soldier) Gilad Shalit to his parents alive and well," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday during the annual Independence Day ceremony in honor of past and present IDF commanders at the President's Residence in Jerusalem.
The PM said, "Every combat soldier knows that we will use all our capabilities in order to bring him back home safe and sound," adding "we have full confidence in the security forces and the General Staff."
Shalit was captured by Palestinian terrorists during a cross-border raid on an IDF base near Gaza on June 25, 2006.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi were also on hand for the ceremony, as were several former presidents and prime ministers.
'Great victory.' Netanyahu (L) and Peres (Photo: Moshe Milner, GPO)
Addressing the IDF commanders, President Shimon Peres said "We asked everyone to come and salute you; after 61 years, we can say with certainty that you have brought us a great victory."
"Judging by our size, we are a small state, and judging by the magnitude of the challenges before us, we are a superpower in and of itself," the president added.
"There is no country in the world that has been attacked seven times in 60 years of existence. Israel stands before existential threats, ostracism and wars, but it will enter the history books as a miracle, as proof that it is possible to do beyond what is expected."
Israel's Independence Day celebrations kicked off Tuesday night with the traditional torch lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
Hundreds attended the ceremony and welcomed Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, the evening's first speaker to the stage.
"The pride each and every one of us feels, here and everywhere a Jewish heart beats, when we make the transition from the sanctity of mourning to joy, is the true story of this day. This story is not just that of the redemption of the 1948 generation, but that of 2009's generation, which is still paying for its freedom and liberties, daily," he said.
