From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
At Independence Day ceremony, Knesset speaker hails Israel’s ‘superpower-level capabilities’
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Israel has demonstrated rare and “superpower-level capabilities” in fighting its enemies, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana declares at Israel’s official 78th Independence Day with torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
“We acted over the past year in general and in the most recent operation in particular, to fight our enemies wherever they are,” he says. “Those who plotted to destroy us were destroyed; those who planned to kill us were killed; those who sought to annihilate us were annihilated. The State of Israel has demonstrated superpower-level capabilities, reserved for only a few countries on earth. What does victory look like? This is what victory looks like,” Ohana declares, to cheers from the crowd.
“When all the names that threatened Israeli citizens for many years have been eliminated and replaced once, twice, and three times, that is what victory looks like. When Israeli ingenuity turned imaginary scenarios into bold reality deep within enemy territory, that is what victory looks like. When, over the past year, in the midst of war, 20,000 Jews chose to immigrate to Israel, that is what victory looks like,” he continues, adding that “the mission is not yet over and we must continue to fight.”
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