Israel must seek to be strong and respected rather than loved, PM tells Holocaust survivors

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, met yesterday with Holocaust survivors slated to light torches at the opening ceremony of Holocaust Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem this evening, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

“Your personal stories are incredibly moving — and they are also our collective stories,” Netanyahu told the survivors in the PMO’s readout.

In the meeting, the premier spoke about the historic 1961 debate between famous British historian Arnold Toynbee and Isaac Herzog, the late uncle of Israel’s current president, who was ambassador to Canada at the time, in which Herzog challenged Toynbee’s comparison of the Jewish people to an extinct “fossil.”

“We are not a fossil. We possess a life force… a great life force that allowed us to overcome the most terrible events in the history of humanity and to return and rebuild our land and our state,” said the prime minister.

“This generation — your descendants, your grandchildren and great-grandchildren — is simply extraordinary,” continued Netanyahu, referring to soldiers he’s met on the frontlines in Gaza and Lebanon, who he said “know they are fighting for our future and for the survival of our people… They are ready to fight with immense power.”

“I don’t want people to love us,” added Netanyahu, saying that “I’d be glad if they did, but that’s not my goal. I want them to respect us. Nations may hate one another — but they don’t attack each other if there’s mutual respect.

“If you are strong enough, you are respected. If you are weak, they may love you — and still destroy you. That’s what they did to the Jews. They eulogized us,” said the prime minister.