Israeli envoy to UN reads national anthem at Security Council

Ron Prosor tells UN body Israel wants peace but will not back down when terror, war are forced upon it

By ToI Staff 22 April 2015, 1:18 am

Edit

File: Israeli ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor reads out a passage from the Israeli national anthem in front of the UN Security Council on Israel's Memorial Day, April 21, 2015. (screen capture: IsraelinUN)

Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor read out a passage from the Israeli national anthem before the Security Council as Israeli Memorial Day, or Yom Hazikaron, began on Tuesday, telling the UN body of Israel’s hope for peace but its refusal to “surrender” to war and terror.

“We honor the 23,320 individuals who lost their lives to war and terror. We will remember the brave soldiers who died so that we can have our freedom, and more than thousands of men, women and children who were robbed of their lives simply because they were Israeli,” Prosor said.

“War has never been the choice of the State of Israel, our choice is and always will be the path of peace. When war and terror are forces upon us, we will not surrender, we will not back down. For nearly 2,000 years, the Jewish people were stateless and powerless in the face of hatred and indifference. Those days are no more,” he went on.

Prosor then noted that on Thursday, Israel will celebrate its 67th anniversary as “a free and independent Jewish state,” before standing up and reading a passage from the national anthem first in Hebrew, then in English.

“With great joy, with heads held up high, we will celebrate the realization of the words of our national anthem ‘Hatikva’ — ‘Our hope will not be lost, The hope of two thousand years, To be a free people in our own land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.’”

Israel’s national Memorial Day began Tuesday evening with an official ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, with an opening speech by President Reuven Rivlin who launched a plea for Israelis to fight for the country’s character, not just its survival. In Tel Aviv, a memorial ceremony was also held in Rabin Square attended by several thousand people.

On Wednesday, another official memorial ceremony will be held at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem and will be attended by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, as well as senior Israel Defense Forces officers and politicians. At 1 p.m. Wednesday, a separate commemoration for Israel’s terror victims will take place at Mount Herzl.

Memorial Day will end abruptly at sundown Wednesday with the start of Independence Day, traditionally ushered in with fireworks and street celebrations nationwide.