Netanyahu: ‘We have a great victory… By this victory we have removed two immediate existential threats in order to ensure the eternity of Israel.’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the start of the Government meeting on Wednesday, addressed the nation with a solemn and resolute message.
“We have a difficult day today. We lost seven of our heroic soldiers, who fell in the campaign to defeat Hamas and for the release of our hostages. Our hearts are with the families. We take them to our hearts in their unbearably difficult hour.”
Netanyahu extended appreciation to the government ministers, highlighting their work during the ongoing conflict. “I would like to again commend the ministers of the Government. It is not self-evident that the State of Israel would succeed in maintaining functional stability in the face of barrages of lethal missiles. It was done by dedicated, expedited, and successful work by the Government ministries.”
He emphasized the next phase of national recovery. “We are currently immersed in the task of rebuilding, of course. The directive that I have given, and I know that it will be carried out, is to render generous assistance quickly.
“Generous – this means that the resources of the state will be directed, like we did during the Corona crisis. It helped and we got Israel out of that crisis first in the world.
“Quickly – this means cutting through bureaucracy, which always makes these things difficult. It is a mission, and I know that you are dedicated to it.”
The Prime Minister offered special thanks to Defense Minister Israel Katz. “I would like to specially thank Defense Minister Israel Katz, who worked with me shoulder-to-shoulder in managing the campaign. This combination and the action that the Government ministries took to give us space to work, what we did together, Israel, greatly assisted, and was a critical component, in achieving the result. Thank you, Israel.”
Netanyahu also shared a poem sent by a citizen, Naama Kadosh. “The name of the poem is ‘A People as a Lion’: ‘Sometimes we stand without words in the face of the greatness of the hour. The heart contracts and expands in the same breath. As we see everyone, lion and lioness, how the Eternal People, the Chosen People, has risen again before our eyes.'”
Reflecting on the broader significance of the recent military campaign, Netanyahu declared: “I think she says the primary thing, and we really do have a great achievement. We have a great victory in the campaign against an enemy who came to destroy us. By this victory we have removed two immediate existential threats in order to ensure the eternity of Israel.”
