Air Force takes to the sky as 75th Independence Day celebrations get into swing
Flybys across the country feature over 100 aircraft; IDF chief of staff says army acts as a common denominator providing strength through unity; crowds flock to nature parks
Israelis flocked to parks, beaches, nature sites, and other open spaces for barbecues and other festivities on Wednesday as the country celebrated its 75th Independence Day.
The first aircraft participating in flybys took the skies Wednesday morning with a formation of transport and attack helicopters buzzing low over the capital and other planes heading for cities across the country.
Later an F-35 stealth fighter swept past performing a victory roll over the Knesset and a brief aerobatic display before disappearing into the blue.
Flybys are a highlight of the annual celebrations and this year over 100 aircraft will participate, including some from foreign air forces.
On the ground, Israelis flocked to national parks, beaches, and open areas for traditional barbeques and picnics. The Ynet website reported that a series of parking lots along the shore of the Sea of Galilee had already closed their gates early in the morning due to overcrowding.
Meanwhile, the Nature and Parks Authority announced that the Gan Hashlosha (also known as Sakhne) and Ma’ayan Harod National Parks were beyond capacity and urged the public not to try and reach them.
The JNF urged people not to try to reach the Hulda forest, which was also overflowing.
Jerusalem was also hosting the annual International Bible Quiz for Youth.
In Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog hosted IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and 120 outstanding soldiers, a yearly event held at the President’s House. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were also at the event.
Herzog spoke to the flyover pilots by radio saying “This is the President speaking! Please communicate on my behalf to all men and women serving in the Israeli Air Force and in the IDF in the air, land and sea: Happy 75th Independence Day to the State of Israel!”
The celebrations come at a time of deep division within Israeli society over the government’s planned overhaul of the judiciary which critics say would weaken the country’s democratic foundations but which the government says would rein in an over-powerful High Court.
The official opening ceremony of Independence Day events on Tuesday night carried a message of unity, and in his address to the soldiers, Halevi continued the theme while avoiding any mention of the political background.
He told participants that “the IDF is the broadest common denominator of Israeli citizens: all who serve in it love their people, their country and their homeland,” while quoting from two key figures in the foundation of the state: its first president David Ben Gurion and Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky.
“Jabotinsky and Ben Gurion were bitter ideological rivals,” Halevi said. “They agreed on one thing: a Jewish protective force in the Land of Israel is a necessary condition for the existence of a state, and therefore I allowed myself to combine them in the same speech. Our strength is in our unity, and if we know how to find the common denominator out of the differences, we can focus on one task: to excel.”
“In our 75th year, some are asking whether” Israel will surpass the number of years of the ancient Israelite kingdoms, Halvei said. “Some of our enemies also adopted this question. I look at you, dear outstanding ones, and know that you are the answer. Your spirit, quality, and willingness, will defeat any threat that comes, from distant Iran, its shipments along the northern and southern borders, or from the Palestinian terrorism operating within us.”
Protests against the judicial overhaul were held on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday a group of activists from the high-tech industry rallied at the Jerusalem home of Economics Minister Nir Barkat carrying a large copy of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which they demanded he sign. Two people were arrested. Barkat, a former mayor of Jerusalem, was previously a successful high-tech entrepreneur.
באנו להזכיר לניר!
יום העצמאות, שבע בבוקר – מחאת ההייטקיסטים הביאה לניר ברקת עותק של מגילת העצמאות, וביקשה ממנו לחתום. עד כה, שני עצורים מול ביתו של ברקת. pic.twitter.com/EZ42v1eb9x— מחאת ההייטקיסטים (@democratechil) April 26, 2023
Air force flybys included F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets; Lavi training aircraft; C-130 cargo planes; a Boeing refueling plane; Black Hawk, Sea Stallion, Panther and Apache helicopters; and Israel Aerospace Industries Heron drones. The IAF published a schedule of when planes will pass over major population areas.
This year, several foreign pilots joined in the flyover, which will include an F-16 fighter jet from the United States and Eurofighter Typhoons from Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy, “as a sign of partnership between the countries and the unique relationship of the State of Israel with them,” the Israeli military said ahead of the celebrations.
In a first, the Luftwaffe said the German aircraft flew over the Knesset, “the symbol of Israeli democracy.”
The Air Force displays will be made up of an aerobatics show — including fighter jets simulating dogfighting — and a flyby.
