Rivlin to distinguished IDF soldiers: 'you are the spirit and hope of Israel.'
President Reuven Rivlin said Thursday during the traditional ceremony to award honors of excellency to outstanding IDF soldiers that the young men and women receiving the medals are "the spirit and the hope of Israel."
"You, who don't fear, who aspire to go higher and go further… I wish to salute you in the name of Israeli people," said the president.
The president also referred to this week's flare-up in the Gaza Strip and the missile attacks on Israel, and said that the residents of Israel's south "stood bravely in front of those who wished to kill us, but failed to do so."
He further said that Israel remembers and is committed to soldiers who are MIA. "We will do everything in our power to bring home every man and every woman who served Israel," said Rivlin.
