Herzog: We’re ready for our enemies with weapon in one hand, other extended in peace

Speaking at the official state ceremony for Memorial Day at the Western Wall, President Isaac Herzog offers a message to Israel’s adversaries.

“Over the past year, past weeks, and indeed past few days, grief and pain have struck us time and again. Even today, our enemies rise up against us with hateful terror, and as always they find us ready and determined, with one hand holding a weapon and the other extended in dialogue and peace,” he says.

“It is precisely in these heart-breaking moments, escorting our heroes and heroines on their final journeys, together with their beloved families, whose pain instantly becomes our own — precisely in these moments, we discover the sheer power of our wonderful and marvelous nation, a nation that knows how to overcome any obstacle,” Herzog says.

“Our hearts, punctured by pain, must not be allowed to make us forget the mighty journey that we have undertaken.”