MidEasT: Israel's Prime Minister adress to Leglislature (Knesset)

The following are remarks given in an Address to the Knesset, July 17, 2006
by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert


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Address byThe Knesset, July 17, 2006

Madam Speaker, Ladies and gentlemen, Members of Knesset,

At the outset, I offer condolences, on my behalf and on behalf of
the government, the Knesset and the entire nation, to the families
of the victims - both civilian and IDF. I also send best wishes for
recovery to the wounded, and a huge embrace for the families of
those kidnapped and the boys themselves.

Over the past few weeks, our enemies have challenged the sovereignty
of the State of Israel and the safety of its residents - first in the
southern
sector, then on the northern border, and deeper into the home front.

Israel did not seek these confrontations. On the contrary. We have done
a lot to prevent them. We returned to the borders of the State of Israel,
recognized by the entire international community. There were those who
misconstrued our desire for peace - for us and our neighbors - as a sign of
frailty. Our enemies misinterpreted our willingness to exercise restraint
as
a sign of weakness.

They were wrong!

Madam Speaker, Members of Knesset,

The State of Israel has no territorial conflict, neither on our southern
border
nor on our northern one.

In these two areas, we are sitting on the recognized international border -
both vis-à-vis the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip, and in Lebanon.

We have no intention of interfering in their internal affairs. On the
contrary,
stability and tranquility in Lebanon, free of the rule of foreign powers,
and
in the Palestinian Authority, are in Israel's interest.

We yearn for the day when peace will prevail between us, for the mutual
benefit of our peoples from both sides of our common border.

The campaign we are engaged in these days is against the terror
organizations
operating from Lebanon and Gaza. These organizations are nothing but
"sub-contractors" operating under the inspiration, permission, instigation
and
financing of the terror-sponsoring and peace-rejecting regimes, on the Axis
of Evil which stretches from Tehran to Damascus.

Lebanon has suffered heavily in the past, when it allowed foreign powers to
gamble on its fate.

Iran and Syria still continue to meddle, from afar, in the affairs of
Lebanon
and the Palestinian Authority, through Hizballah and the Hamas.

Even if last Wednesday's criminal attack against an IDF patrol was carried
out
without the consent of the Lebanese government and without the assistance
of its military, this does not absolve it of full responsibility for the
attack which
emanated from its sovereign territory. Just as the fact that the Chairman of
the Palestinian Authority opposes terrorism against Israel does not relieve
him
and the Palestinian Authority of their responsibility for the attack carried
out
from their territory against our soldiers in Kerem Shalom. They are both
fully
responsible for the safety of our soldiers who were taken hostage.

Radical, terrorist and violent elements are sabotaging the life of the
entire region
and placing its stability at risk. The region in which we live is threatened
by these
murderous terror groups.

It is a regional - as well as global - interest to take control and
terminate their
activity.

We can all see how the majority of the international community supports our
battle against the terror organizations and our efforts to remove this
threat
of the Middle East.

We intend to do this. We will continue to operate in full force until we
achieve
this. On the Palestinian front, we will conduct a tireless battle until
terror ceases,
Gilad Shalit is returned home safely and the shooting of Qassam missiles
stops.

And in Lebanon, we will insist on compliance with the terms stipulated long
ago
by the international community, as unequivocally expressed only yesterday in
the resolution of the 8 leading countries of the world:

- The return of the hostages, Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser and Eldad Regev;
-
- A complete cease fire;
-
- Deployment of the Lebanese army in all of Southern Lebanon;
-
- Expulsion of Hizballah from the area, and fulfillment of United
Nations Resolution 1559.

We will not suspend our actions.

On both fronts we are exercising self-defence in the most basic and
essential sense.
In both cases, it is a matter whose importance and significance go far
beyond the
size of the military units involved.

We are at a national moment of truth. Will we consent to living under the
threat
of this Axis of Evil or will we mobilize our inner strength and show
determination and
equanimity?

Our answer is clear to every Israeli, and it echoes today throughout the
entire region.

We will search every compound, target every terrorist who assists in
attacking the
citizens of Israel, and destroy every terrorist infrastructure, everywhere.
We will
persist until Hizballah and Hamas comply with those basic and decent things
required
of them by every civilized person. Israel will not agree to live in the
shadow of missiles
or rockets against its residents.

Citizens of Israel,

There are moments in the life of a nation, when it is compelled to look
directly into the
face of reality and say: no more!

And I say to everyone: no more! Israel will not be held hostage - not by
terror gangs
or by a terrorist authority or by any sovereign state.

In the life of a nation there are moments of transcendence, of purification,
when political
and sectarian disputes which separate us are replaced by a sense of mutual
responsibility.
I highly value and appreciate the way the Opposition has been conducting
itself in the
Knesset these days. The human competition and personal rivalries are
dissolved and
instead our feeling of mutual responsibility arises, our sense of
partnership, and primarily,
our eternal love for our people and our land.

This is such a moment!

All of us - Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Circassians - now stand as
one person,
as one nation, subject together to the same hatred and malice, and fighting
against it
in consensus and partnership. When missiles are launched at our residents
and cities,
our answer will be war with all the strength, determination, valour,
sacrifice and dedication
which characterize this nation.

There is nothing we want more than peace and good neighborly relations - in
the east,
north and south. We seek peace, we pursue peace and we yearn for peace. At
the
same time, there is nothing we reject more than an attempt to harm us and
make us
give up our right to live here, in our land, in security and peace.

On behalf of the people of Israel, on behalf of all the residents of the
country, I came
here today, Madam Speaker, to announce to the world: we seek neither war nor
direct
confrontation, but we will not be deterred from them when the need arises.
Only a
nation that can defend its freedom truly deserves it. We are entitled to
our freedom,
and when necessary, we know how to fight for it and defend it.

My fellow Members of Knesset,

The strength of the State of Israel relies on the strength and capability of
the IDF.
This strength is the main guarantee to preserving and defending our lives on
this land.
The best economic and human resources of Israeli society were invested in
building this
strength.

I want to extend from here my heartfelt gratitude - and that of the
Government and
the people of Israel - to the IDF soldiers and commanders, the security
services, the
Israel Police, the rescue forces, the fire-fighters and the other security
forces.

I wish to read from the "Prayer for the Welfare of Soldiers in the Israel
Defense Forces".
Millions of Jews - in Israel and the world - pray for the safety and success
of those who
defend our nation, from the Lebanese border to the desert, and from the
Great Sea unto
the approach of the Arava, on the land, in the air and on the sea.

"May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down
before them.

May the Holy One, blessed be He, preserve and rescue our fighters from every
trouble and
distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and
success in their
every endeavour.

May He lead our enemies under our soldiers' sway and may He grant them
salvation and
crown them with victory".

The strength of a nation is measured not only by its military capabilities.
The strength of
a nation is measured by its welfare and morality, its strong and solid
economy, its modern
and developing market, its export of technologies and products for the most
advanced
world markets and its ground-breaking academic research. In all these, each
and every
one of us has good reason to be proud.

But above all, the strength of a nation is measured in times of trial, when
the home front
becomes the front, when the citizens of the country show admirable
fortitude, patience
and stamina and allow it to operate against its enemies.

I had the privilege of witnessing these inner strengths in the years when I
was Mayor of
Jerusalem. For years, our capital was subject to the most murderous terror
attacks. The
resilience, patience and restraint of the residents of Jerusalem and the
entire citizens of
Israel are exemplary.

I recall a conversation with Rudy Giuliani, who was Mayor of New York during
the terror
attacks of September 2001. I called to offer encouragement to him and the
residents of
New York following the collapse of the Twin Towers, and he replied: "Ehud,
if the New
Yorkers can withstand it like the Jerusalemites do, then we will defeat
terrorism".

Madam Speaker, Ladies and gentlemen Members of Knesset, Citizens of Israel,

Even in these days, hundreds of thousands of Israelis stand at the front
line of fire,
like soldiers in the battlefield, fighting for our life and honour.

It is clear to us that the circumstances imposed upon the residents compel
us to address
their special needs, in all aspects. The government will lend immediate
assistance, everywhere.

The government of Israel, under my leadership, derives strength from the
stamina of the
Israeli public. We are a brave and determined nation. I am proud today -
perhaps more
than ever before - to be an Israeli citizen.

Thanks to you, our enemies come up against a united nation, which fights
together, shoulder
to shoulder. We do not surrender and we do not panic. We believe in the
justice of our cause,
because there is no battle more just or moral than ours - a battle for the
right to a peaceful
and normal life, like any other human being, any other nation and any other
state.

We fight for the right of children like Omer Pisachov, may his memory be
blessed, a 7 year old
from Nahariya, who wanted to visit his grandmother Yehudit Itzkovich, may
her memory be
blessed, and enjoy the Sabbath dinner she prepared;

We fight for the right of citizens like Shmuel Ben-Shimon, may his memory be
blessed, a 41
year old from Yokne'am who left every morning for work in the railway garage
in Haifa to
support his wife Natalie and their small children;

We fight for the right of citizens like Monica Lerer, may her memory be
blessed, a 50 year
old from Nahariya, to drink coffee on the terrace in the country to which
she immigrated
from Argentina;

We fight for the right of girls like Ella Abukasis, may her memory be
blessed, a 13 year
old from Sderot, to play the flute and read books, as Ella enjoyed doing.

We fight for everything that everyone in the enlightened world takes for
granted and never
imagined that they would have to fight for - the right to a normal life.

It is a difficult battle! It may become even more difficult. It is a painful
test, and we may
have to bear more suffering. Such a battle is never easy. It is strewn
with pain and
suffering, sacrifice, and casualties.

But, we have no intention of giving up our desire to live a normal life. We
will not
apologize for this desire, and we do not need anyone's approval to defend
ourselves.

Citizens of Israel,

This is a difficult time of trial for all of us.

The State of Israel has withstood much more complex trials - and triumphed.

We have always known how to mobilize our inner strength, equanimity, wisdom
and
patience, in order to overcome our enemies.

Finally, I wish to speak on a more personal note to the families of Shalit,
Goldwasser and
Regev, the families of the soldiers who are held hostage by the Hamas and
Hizballah.

You, and mainly your children - our children - are always on my mind.

Last Wednesday, only five days ago, at 10:00 am, Aviva and Noam Shalit sat
in my office.
They, and I, want Gilad home more than anything. While we were discussing
the situation,
I - and Aviva and Noam - received the painful news that Ehud (Udi)
Goldwasser and
Eldad Regev had been kidnapped.

On their departure, Noam and Aviva left a picture of Gilad, taken close to
the date of his
kidnapping.

Unfortunately, pictures of three boys now stand in my room. Many times
during the day
I look in their faces, into their eyes, and embrace them in my heart. I do
not forget them
for one minute. They were there on our behalf and for our sake. We will do
everything
and make every effort to bring them home. We will do this, but not in a
pattern that will
encourage more kidnappings.

There is almost no one who can understand the place you are in. Even when
we do not
talk directly, I feel and hear what you want to say to me, and I embrace you
with love,
understanding and agreement.

The place I am in compels me, ultimately, to make fateful decisions, for
life, and sometimes
even for death.

I have no strength other than that which you have bestowed upon me.

I have no courage other than that which G-d, my faith in the justice of our
cause and
my sense of supreme responsibility, have instilled in me and have prepared
me for these
fateful moments.

Madam Speaker,

I see before me the kidnapped boys, those standing in the front line and in
the line of fire,
those brave and determined ones who are fighting today and who could - G-d
forbid -
be the target of tomorrow's kidnapping.

We will defend all of them, on behalf of all of them we will fight, and with
all of them before
our eyes - the civilians in the line of fire, the kidnapped fighters and
their families - we will
continue, without hesitating, without capitulating and without fretting,
until our goals are
achieved.

I wish to conclude by reading an extract from Prophet Jeremiah:

"Thus said Hashem: a voice is heard on high, wailing, bitter weeping, Rachel
weeps for
her children; she refuses to be consoled for her children, for they are
gone.

Thus said Hashem: restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears;
for there
is reward for your accomplishment - the word of Hashem - and they will
return from the
enemy's land.

There is hope for your future - the word of Hashem;

And your children will return to their land".

We will triumph!

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