MKs remember the fallen, warn of new threats

Israeli parliamentarians spoke Monday at Memorial Day ceremonies nationwide, and many stressed the lessons to be learned from the past for confronting Israel’s present and future challenges.

One such speaker was Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud), who said during a ceremony at Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Shaul cemetery that Israel has been forced to go to war by those who refuse to recognize its legitimacy.

Ya’alon said Israel’s enemies were still attempting to harm it in various ways and were trying to undermine the endurance of Israeli society.

He further warned that if Iran’s nuclear program was not dealt with, it would threaten Israel, the Middle East and the entire world.

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua), meanwhile, said at a ceremony in Holon that Israelis should feel not just pride when the Israeli flag is waved on Independence Day, but also concern and responsibility for the country’s future.

At the heart of the struggle over the right of Jews to a Jewish homeland, she said, was the imperative to preserve its “values as a Jewish and democratic state.”

Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud), who spoke in Tel Aviv, said anti-Semitism and hatred were still being expressed all over the world, 70 years after 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

“Only the proximity of Memorial Day and Independence Day allows us to remember that we are standing here today only thanks to the fallen,” Shalom said.

Likud MK Reuven Rivlin, meanwhile, said at a ceremony on the Mount of Olives in memory of those killed in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City that building in Jerusalem was the way to prevent the city’s division.

“Those who don’t build in Jerusalem today, may bring about its partition tomorrow,” Rivlin said. He added that the graves around him proved “how deeply Jerusalem is embedded in our hearts” and how strong is Israel’s connection to the city.

He concluded that those who succumb to international pressure and “pointless gestures” and prevent Jerusalem from expanding are betraying the memory of those who died to free and unite the city.

Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) said at a ceremony in Petah Tikva that on the eve of its 65th Independence Day, Israel was facing the most difficult and complex security challenges in its history. Akunis said Israel’s existence should not be taken for granted, as its security required action year-round.

Former deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon, meanwhile, stressed that Israel was “a peace-seeking nation” extending a hand to the world and striving for peace –- but not at the expense of its citizens’ sons and daughters.

“Unfortunately, there are still many who refuse to recognize our right to a Jewish national home in the land of Israel in any borders, forcing us to fight back and cut their intentions short. They are trying to harm us in multifaceted ways, challenging our powers of resistance as a society. These threats are not dwindling, they are merely diversifying,” Ayalon said.