Address by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert State Memorial Ceremony for Israel's
Fallen Soldiers, Mount Herzl
Translation
07/05/2008

Honorable President, Mr. Shimon Peres,
Madam Speaker of the Knesset, Ms. Dalia Itzik,
Honorable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Ms. Dorit Beinish,
Honorable Mayor of Jerusalem, Mr. Uri Lupoliansky,
IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi,
Israel Police Commissioner, Dudi Cohen,
Honorable Chief Rabbis, the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Chief Rabbi
Yona Metzger,
Honorable Chairman of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Federation,
Mr. Zeev Bielsky,
Honorable Chairman of the Yad Labanim Organization in Jerusalem, Mr. Eli
Dahan,
Honorable Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Henri Etoundi Essomba,
Honorable Chairman of the IDF Disabled Soldiers Organization, Mr. Yoav Alt,
IDF generals,
Members of Knesset,
Dear Bereaved Families,

The memorial siren was heard throughout the country, and the hustle and
bustle of life in the State of Israel stopped for one clear, crystallized
moment of unity with the memory of Israel's fallen soldiers, and compassion
and solidarity with the bereaved families.

At military cemeteries and military plots many are now gathering - good,
loyal citizens of the State of Israel, stand bowed and quiet, with sorrow in
their eyes. They are all there: the indigent and the affluent, residents of
poor neighborhoods and those of luxurious suburbs, religious, Masorti and
secular, new immigrants and veterans, descendants from east and west, people
with different, contradictory world views.

On this special day, all the barriers fade, and the sense of unity and
shared destiny is stronger than at any other time. Memorial Day for
Israel's Fallen Soldiers is a sad day, but void of any discord, and very
Israeli. Anyone who identifies with this country, its flag and values,
anyone whose home is Israel, anyone who is a partner to the essence of life
in Israel, even if he is, at this moment, at the other end of the universe,
will feel, deep down in his heart, the spirit of this day and will sense the
pain. There is almost no one in Israel who is a stranger to the cost of
war, no one who will today not remember a family member, a friend or
acquaintance from among the fallen. No one in Israel is estranged from the
heavy weight of the loss.

Each and every one of you, dear families, has a permanent address, one that
belongs only to you, among the rows of stone. A humble, uniform stone,
indistinguishable by rank, be it a Private or a Major-General, a small
square stone, carved out of rock, carrying identification details. Only
you, family members, share the world of your loved one who was lost. You
see before you his image, his face, his smile, fragments of moving pictures
from different times - a baby growing into a child, a boy, a man, a soldier.
The sound of his voice resonates in your memory, and the touch of his hands,
his hug, his kiss, are burnt into your soul. The silent stone is adorned
with flowers and is moist from the tears, and the longings are endless.

Dear families,

I will not speak words of solace, as there is no remedy for the grief. I
will, however, express the nation's unbounded gratitude for the spirit of
heroism and sacrifice which your loved ones demonstrated by coming to the
defense of this people and this country. Our entire national existence, and
the safety and well-being of Israeli citizens, depend upon our willingness
to defend ourselves, fight for our just principles and vital interests,
respond against our aggressors and foil our enemies' schemes. Your sons and
daughters, Israel's fallen soldiers, gave their lives for the most supreme
goal, and we, citizens of this country on whose watch they fell, will
forever carry in our hearts a debt of honor and glory towards them, and an
honest sense of humility and love for you.

Poet Yitzhak Shalev wrote:

"On Mount Herzl, in the military cemetery
Lies an old tomb of graves
A Jewish man and his home rest there
I saw his stone carved
Among the stones of soldiers
It is as if it is coming to bear witness
The same stone is Israel's headrest in every generation."

Our war is indeed long, and the State of Israel's sixty years of existence,
as well as what preceded it, are all represented here among the marble
stones. However, it is peace, not war, that we yearn for and crave. Our
forefathers' decree and our legacy, "seek and pursue peace" is translated by
us into political action and a willingness to make essential compromises, as
this is also the decree of the fallen and the decree of the pain and agony
in the hearts of the bereaved families. Another decree of the fallen,
which is to us the decree of life, is that we will defend the security of
the State of Israel with all our might, without any hesitation or
capitulation.

Among the casualties of war, those injured in body and soul, are many of the
IDF's wounded and disabled soldiers. We wish them recovery and
rehabilitation. We will make every possible and responsible effort to bring
our kidnapped and missing soldiers home soon.

Today our flags fly at half mast, and as the evening dawns and we enter the
gates of our 60th Independence Day, we will know that the value of our State
of Israel is as high as the cost, the immeasurable cost of its revival and
defense.

May the souls of Israel's fallen soldiers be forever bound to our lives, and
may their memory be blessed.