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Following are Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s remarks to the bereaved families on the occasion of Memorial Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars made at the ceremony on Tuesday night the eve of 3 Iyar.

“My brothers and sisters, to the bereaved families, on this day the entire nation remembers our loved ones who fell on behalf of the revival of our people and our land. This day is the most difficult for us. The warm embrace that we receive strengthens us but it cannot console us for the terrible loss. The pain rends our hearts, the grief chokes us and the longing will never go away.

“On this day the people of Israel bow their heads in respect and gratitude. The poet Shlomo Sokolsky well expressed the heavy price. In his poem ‘Rosh Pina’, he wrote: ‘There is no conquering the top of the rock – if there is no grave on the slope.’ This is the reality of our life in the past 67 years since the establishment of the State of Israel and even before.

“Last year many more families were added to the family of the bereaved including the families of those who fell in Operation Protective Edge whose sons fought to restore quiet and security to the cities of Israel and the communities of the south.

“On Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars, we recall the heroism of those who gave their souls for the existence and security of the State of Israel. To our sorrow, in the current Middle East we are obliged to continue fighting for our existence, and our existence here is not self-evident without this sacrifice. Only thanks to the iron wall, every brick of which is held by our sons and daughters of the IDF and the security services, only thanks to them can we continue to live our lives here and continue to raise our children and grandchildren here.

“Dear families, our loved ones who fell are the foundation of that same iron wall. We must guard their memory and heritage for future generations.

“May the memory of all those who fell in Israel’s wars be blessed and kept in the heart of the nation.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)